Skip to main content

Full text of "The diary of Philip Hone, 1828-1851"

See other formats


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/diaryofphiliphon01honeuoft 


HU6.  IB. 


PHILIP   HONE 


1828-18P 


EDITED,   WITH    AN    INTRODUCTION 

BY 

BAYARD     TUCKER MAN 


Vl." 


IN    TWO    VOLUMES 
VOLUME    I 


NEW     YORK 

DODD,     MEAD     AND      COMTANY 

1889 


Copyright,   1SS9 
By  DODD,  mead  &  COMPAXY 


All  rights  reserved 


TRESS      OF 

orfeujril  anD  (Tljinrtljill 

BObTON 


NTRODUCTION. 


■pHILIP  HONE  was  born  on  the  2Sth  of  October,  1780,  in 
-*-  Dutch  street,  New  York.  Four  years  later  his  father  bought 
a  wooden  house,  on  the  corner  of  Dutch  and  John  streets,  where 
Philip  passed  his  boyhood.  He  received  a  common-school  educa- 
tion, and  at  seventeen  years  of  age  began  his  mercantile  career  as 
clerk  to  his  elder  brother  John.  The  business  was  that  of  an  auc- 
tioneer, which,  at  that  time,  consisted  chiefly  in  selling  the  cargoes 
brought  to  the  port  of  New  York  by  the  fleet  of  American  merchant- 
men. Philip  displayed  so  much  ability  and  fidelity  in  his  work, 
that  in  1 799,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  his  brother  took  him 
into  partnership.  The  firm  became  extremely  prosperous,  and 
bore  an  honoured  name  throughout  the  United  States.  On  the 
I  St  of  October,  1801,  in  his  twenty-second  year,  Mr.  Hone  mar- 
ried Catherine  Dunscomb,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

In  1820,  Mr.  Hone,  although  only  forty  years  of  age,  had  accu- 
mulated a  fortune  then  considered  very  large.  His  mature  life  still 
lay  before  him,  and  the  choice  was  open  as  to  the  manner  in  which 
it  should  be  spent.  With  no  love  of  money  for  money's  sake,  with 
a  sincere  desire  to  improve  himself  and  to  be  useful  to  others,  he 
retired  from  business,  in  the  flood- tide  of  his  powers  and  his  pros- 
perity, to  enter  a  higher  sphere  of  effort. 

In  1821  he  sailed  for  Europe  in  the  "James  Monroe,"  Captain 
Rogers,  of  four  hundred  tons  burden.  This  journey  to  foreign 
lands  made  a  deep  impression,  and  strengthened  his  determination 
to  devote  his  energies  to  self-cultivation  and  to  objects  of  public 


iv  INTRODUCTION. 

interest.  Immediately  after  his  return,  he  purchased  the  house, 
No.  235  Broadway,  just  below  the  corner  of  Park  place,  for  $25,000. 
Tliis  house  was  one  of  the  largest  private  residences  in  the  city, 
and  was  jjointed  out  to  strangers  as  an  object  of  civic  pride.  Its 
wintlows  looked  out  upon  the  City  Hall  Park,  then  the  principal  park 
in  New  York,  surrounded  by  a  fence  of  wooden  palings,  and  consid- 
ered up  town.  When  installed  in  his  new  house,  Mr,  Hone  began 
his  career  of  social  and  public-spirited  activity.  The  most  able 
and  influential  men  in  New  York  were  his  constant  guests.  Men 
from  other  States,  such  as  Daniel  Webster,  Henry  Clay,  Harrison 
Cray  Otis,  made  his  house  their  rendezvous  while  passing  through 
the  city.  Foreigners  of  note,  such  as  Lord  Morpeth,  Fanny 
Kemble,  Captain  Marryat,  John  Gait,  Charles  Dickens,  met  with 
a  hearty  welcome.  As  his  children  grew  up  the  house  became  a 
resort  for  the  young  people ;  and  it  was  an  ordinary  question  for  the 
beaux  and  belles  walking  on  Broadway  :  "  Shall  we  meet  to-night  at 
Mr.  Hone's,  or  at  Dr.  Hosack's?"  —  these  being  the  two  houses 
in  town  most  constantly  open. 

In  1S24  Mr,  Hone  was  elected  an  assistant  alderman,  which 
office  he  held  until  1826,  when  he  became  Mayor.  His  adminis- 
tration of  the  affairs  of  the  city  was  characterized  by  an  intelligent 
public  spirit,  untrammelled  by  party ;  and  his  mayoralty,  praise- 
worthy as  it  was  for  the  wise  performance  of  duty,  was  especially 
distinguished  in  the  annals  of  New  York  municipal  government  by 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Hone  represented  the  city  socially  as  well  as  po- 
litically. He  entertained  officially ;  and  visiting  strangers  during 
his  term  enjoyed  a  hospitality  which  reflected  credit  upon  the  whole 
community. 

In  18 1 6  was  established  the  first  bank  for  savings.  This,  the 
best  of  all  philanthropic  institutions,  had  immediately  enlisted  Mr. 
Hone's  cooperation.  On  its  foundation  he  was  appointed  a  trustee 
by  the  Legislature,  and  he  continued  his  gratuitous  labours  on  be- 
half of  the  bank  for  more  than  thirty  years,  becoming  its  president 
in  1 84 1.     For  t\Venty-one  years  he   served  as  a  governor  of  the 


IXTRODUCTIOX.  V 

New  York  Hospital  and  as  a  trustee  of  the  Bloomingdale  Asylum. 
He  ceased  to  occupy  these  positions  only  when  rendered  ineligible 
by  his  appointment  by  the  Governor  of  the  State  as  an  inspector 
of  all  public  institutions.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  Clinton  Hall 
Association  and  of  the  Mercantile  Library  Association,  of  which  he 
continued  to  be  the  president  for  many  years.  Other  institutions 
and  corporations  of  which  Mr.  Hone  was  an  officer  for  considerable 
periods  are  as  follows  :  Trustee  of  Columbia  College,  of  the  New 
York  Life  Insurance  and  Trust  Company,  of  the  Merchants'  Ex- 
change ;  president  of  the  American  Exchange  Bank,  of  the  Glen- 
ham  Manufacturing  Company;  vice-president  of  the  Institution 
for  the  Instruction  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  of  the  American 
Seamen's  Fund  Society,  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  of 
the  Fuel  Savings  Society;  a  director  in  the  Matteawan  Cotton 
and  Machine  Company,  the  Eagle  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the 
National  Insurance  Company,  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company ;  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  of  the  Vestry 
of  Trinity  Church ;  a  manager  of  the  Literary  and  Philosophical 
Society,  of  the  Mechanics  and  Scientific  Association ;  president  of 
the  German  Society ;  a  founder  and  a  governor  of  the  Union  Club. 
By  his  labours  on  behalf  of  the  insurance  and  manufacturing  com- 
panies, and  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal,  which  first  connected 
the  coal-fields  of  Pennsylvania  with  tide-water,  Mr.  Hone  kept 
abreast  of  the  industrial  interests  of  the  country.  The  positions 
held  by  him  in  philanthropic  institutions  were  never  treated  as 
honorary  titles.  In  each  case  he  worked  with  the  same  assiduity 
that  a  man  could  apply  to  his  own  business.  An  ordinary  day's  oc- 
cupation for  him  was  to  ride  out  on  horseback  to  the  Bloomingdale 
Asylum,  to  return  and  pass  the  afternoon  at  the  Bank  for  Savings, 
thence  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  Trinity  Vestry,  or  to  preside  over 
the  Mercantile  Library  Association.  He  was  never  voluntarily 
absent  from  a  meeting  where  the  interests  of  others  demanded  his 
presence,  and  many  were  the  good  dinners  which  he  lost  in  conse- 
quence. 


vi  INTRODUCTION. 

In  I  S3  7,  the  encroachments  of  trade  upon  the  buildings  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  City  Hall  Park  made  Mr.  Hone's  house  there  less 
desirable  as  a  place  of  residence.  He  sold  it,  and  built  the  house 
at  the  south-east  corner  of  Broadway  and  Great  Jones  street,  then 
the  upper  limit  of  the  city,  where  he  lived  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  The  front  room  on  the  ground  floor,  now  occupied  by 
the  East  River  Bank,  was  his  library,  and  there  the  greater  part 
of  his  Diary  was  written. 

During  the  prolonged  period  of  commercial  depression,  which 
began  with  the  attacks  of  President  Jackson  upon  the  Bank  of  the 
United  States  in  1836,  Mr.  Hone  met  with  financial  losses,  in  con- 
sequence of  assistance  extended  by  him  to  others,  which  com- 
pelled him  to  return  to  active  business.  He  became  president 
of  the  American  Mutual  Insurance  Company,  which  was  ruined  by 
the  great  fire  of  July  19,  1845,  and  the  affairs  of  which  he  wound 
up  as  receiver.  In  recognition  of  the  courageous  and  honourable 
manner  in  which  he  had  met  his  reverses,  a  number  of  leading 
merchants  placed  in  the  Mercantile  Library  a  marble  bust  of  Mr. 
Hone,  which  Clevenger  began  and  Powers  finished.  In  1849  he 
was  appointed  Naval  Officer  of  the  port  of  New  York  by  President 
Taj-lor,  which  office  he  held  during  the  short  remainder  of  his 
life. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Hone  was  first  a  Federalist,  and  afterwards  a 
Whig,  having  given  its  name  to  the  latter  party.  The  Jackson 
administration,  characterized  as  it  was  by  unwarrantable  assump- 
tion of  power  by  the  Executive  and  a  cringing  party  subserviency, 
excited  his  detestation ;  and  he  was  an  important  factor  in  the 
great  campaign  which  ended  in  the  election  of  General  Harrison. 
He  was  an  able  speaker,  and  his  services  were  called  into  requisi- 
tion at  all  times  of  public  commotion.  He  presided  with  success 
at  party  conventions,  where  his  fine  presence,  strong  voice,  and 
dignified  language  swayed  and  moderated  great  assemblages. 

He  had  personal  gifts  which  extended  the  influence  due  to  his 
character.     Tall  and  spare,  his  bearing  was  distinguished,  his  face 


INTRODUCTION.  vH 

handsome  and  refined ;  his  manners  were  courtly,  of  what  is 
known  as  the  "  old  school ;  "  his  tact  was  great,  —  he  had  a  faculty 
for  saying  the  right  thing.  In  his  own  house  his  hospitality  was 
enhanced  by  a  graceful  urbanity  and  a  ready  wit.  He  was  fond 
of  riding  on  horseback,  always  had  a  spirited  horse,  and  for  many 
years  his  figure  was  a  familiar  sight  as  he  rode  up  and  down 
Broadway.  His  popularity  as  a  diner-out  is  sufficiently  illustrated 
in  the  pages  of  the  Diary,  and  is  well  remembered  through  the 
institution  of  the  Hone  Club. 

Mr.  Hone's  taste  for  literature  and  the  arts  was  self-cultivated. 
With  few  advantages  in  early  life,  he  owed  his  education  to  his 
own  efforts.  He  was  an  assiduous  reader  of  serious  books,  the 
contents  of  which  he  impressed  on  his  mind  by  copying  striking 
passages  in  his  common-place  book,  with  comments  of  his  own. 
He  took  every  opportunity  of  seeing  good  pictures,  and  obtained 
an  artistic  judgment  by  the  same  system  of  self-instruction  which 
he  applied  to  literature.  Authors  and  painters  were  frequent 
guests  at  his  table,  and  not  a  few  were  assisted  by  him.  He  was 
much  interested  in  the  drama,  owned  a  box  at  the  Park  Theatre ; 
and  when  actors  like  Matthews,  Kemble,  or  the  elder  Wallack 
were  playing  in  New  York,  they  always  enjoyed  his  hospitality. 

As  a  merchant,  distinguished  for  intelligence  and  integrity ;  as  an 
enlightened  philanthropist,  as  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  a  social 
leader,  Mr.  Hone  took  pleasure  in  recording  the  events  which  took 
place  under  his  eyes  during  the  first  half  of  the  present  century. 
He  saw  New  York  grow  from  a  town  of  twenty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants into  a  city  of  five  hundred  thousand ;  he  saw  the  residence 
portion  of  the  city  extend  up  Broadway  to  Union  square,  up  Fifth 
avenue  as  far  as  Twentieth  street.  And  in  this  enormous  growth 
and  all  the  changes  which  it  involved,  he  had  borne  an  influential 
part.  He  had  been  an  American  who  recognized  no  division  of 
North  and  South,  and  a  Knickerbocker  who  gloried  in  the  progress 
of  his  native  city.  In  1847  he  made  a  journey  into  the  far  West, 
the  hardships  of  which  brought  on  an  illness  from  which  he  never 


INTRODUCTION. 


fully  recovered.      In  1S50  he  lost  his  wife,  and  on  the  4th  of  May, 
1S51,  he  died,  in  his  seventy-first  year. 


On  the  termination  of  his  mayoralty,  in  1827,  Mr.  Hone  began 
to  keep  a  record  of  various  events,  chiefly  of  a  business  and  per- 
sonal description,  for  convenience  of  reference,  rather  than  as  a 
literary  occupation.  But  his  interest  in  the  life  of  his  day,  com- 
bined with  a  natural  gift  for  expression  which  demanded  gratifi- 
cation, caused  this  record  gradually  to  assume  a  more  elaborate 
character.  In  May,  1828,  he  found  that  he  had  only  to  go  a  step 
further  to  convert  his  common-place  book  into  a  diary,  and  this 
step  he  determined  to  take.  During  the  rest  of  his  life  the  Diary 
became  his  favourite  exercise  and  relaxation.  He  devoted  an 
hour  or  more  daily  to  chronicling  events  of  interest,  to  comments 
on  politics,  literature,  art,  the  drama,  or  industrial  subjects.  He 
wrote  without  any  view  to  publication.  His  thoughts  were  put 
down  as  they  occurred  to  him,  without  previous  preparation  or  sub- 
sequent correction.  Their  expression  was  the  pleasurable  one  of 
an  active  mind  which  is  relieved  by  giving  form  to  ideas.  The 
keeping  of  the  Diary  became  a  rooted  habit ;  so  that,  when  infirmity 
had  curtailed  other  occupations,  he  adhered  to  this  one  almost  to 
the  day  of  his  death.  The  somewhat  fragmentary  character  of  a 
common-place  book  is  discernible  in  the  beginning  of  the  Diary ; 
but  the  reader  will  perceive  a  steady  improvement  as  regards  both 
style  and  continuity. 

In  its  original  form,  the  Diary  consists  of  twenty-eight  quarto 
volumes,  closely  written  on  both  sides  of  the  page.  Not  more  than 
a  quarter  of  the  work  is  now  published.  Mr.  Hone  made  ex- 
tended comments  on  new  books,  with  extracts  from  them;  he 
made  summaries  of  the  foreign  news  brought  by  the  packet-ships ; 
he  kept  records  of  political  statistics  and  local  political  meetings  ;  he 
copied  extracts  from  the  speeches  of  pubhc  men  and  periodical 
articles  of  interest  at  that  time  ;  he  kept  a  record  of  the  journeys 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

which  he  took  about  the  country  on  business  or  for  pleasure.  Such 
subjects  as  the  above  have  been  omitted  or  abridged.  The  por- 
tions of  the  Diary  relating  to  industrial  changes,  to  political  and 
social  life,  to  public  men  and  other  individuals  of  note,  to  the  his- 
tory of  the  city  of  New  York,  have  been  retained  as  far  as  allowed 
by  the  limits  of  the  two  volumes  here  presented. 

Bayard  Tuckerman. 


THE     DIARY 


PHILIP   HONE 


1828.  ■ 

OUNDAY,  May  18.  —  The  tariff  bill,  having  been  returned  from 
*^  the  Senate,  passed  by  that  body  with  various  amendments, 
was  finally  passed  by  the  House  of  Representatives  on  Thursday 
last.  This  bill  has  been  warmly  discussed,  and  has  caused  great 
excitement.  It  increases  the  duties  on  all  those  descriptions 
of  manufactured  goods  imported  from  foreign  countries  which 
are  supposed  to  come  into  competition  with  our  manufactures. 
The  success  of  this  measure  will  be  considered  a  triumph  of 
the  manufacturing  over  the  mercantile  interest.  Some  of  the 
Southern  States  view  it  as  hostile  to  their  prosperity,  and  I  much 
fear  it  will  lead  to  violent  measures  among  some  of  the  political 
Hotspurs  of  that  sanguine  portion  of  our  fellow-citizens. 

Ballston  Springs,  Saturday,  July  26.  —  Mr.  Stevenson  told  me 
the  following  anecdote  of  Tecumseh,  which  was  related  to  him  by 
General  Harrison,  and  which  is  descriptive  of  the  Indian's  roman- 
tic character  and  sublime  sentiments.  When  General  Harrison, 
at  that  time  Governor  of  the  Indian  Territory,  was  engaged  with 
the  chief  in  making   the  treaty  of   Vincennes,  a  misunderstand- 


2  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIII-IP   HONE.  [.•Etat.48. 

ing  occ\irrc(l,  and  Tccumsch  gave  the  General  the  lie.  The 
Cicncral  was  very  indignant,  and  was  with  difficulty  restrained 
from  chastising  him  on  the  spot;  this,  however,  would  have 
been  attended  with  consequences  fatal  to  the  pending  negoti- 
ation, and  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  signify  to  him  through  the 
interpreter  that  his  offence  was  forgiven,  and  that  he  was  allowed 
the  privilege  of  being  seated  in  the  presence  of  the  Governor, 
his  great  father.  The  haughty  chief,  throwing  himself  on  the 
ground,  replied  with  scorn  and  indignation,  "  I  have  no  father 
but  the  glorious  Sun ;  the  Earth  is  my  mother,  and  I  will  repose 
upon  her  bosom." 

Albany,  Tuesday,  Sept.  2. —  After  seeing  three  of  my  chil- 
dren, with  the  horses  and  carriage,  under  way  in  the  safety  barge 
"  Lady  Clinton  "  for  New  York,  we  started  at  ten  o'clock  in  an 
extra  stage  for  Boston,  by  the  way  of  Lebanon,  Northampton, 
etc.  We  gave  seventy  dollars  for  the  coach  to  convey  the  party 
of  seven  persons  to  Boston. 

Thursday,  Sept.  4.  —  Left  Lebanon  after  breakfast.  To  Pittsfield, 
seven  miles ;  to  Hinsdale,  nine ;  to  Peru,  four,  where  we  dined ; 
to  Worthington,  a  neat,  pretty  little  town,  six ;  to  Chesterfield,  six, 
where  we  lodged. 

Friday,  Sept.  5 .  —  Fine  westerly  wind  and  clear  weather.  We 
left  Chesterfield  after  breakfast  and  came  to  Northampton,  thirteen 
miles.  Everything  looks  delightful  in  this  most  beautiful  town, 
which  has  improved  much.  We  visited  in  the  afternoon  the  Round 
Hill  School,  and  were  politely  entertained  by  Mr.  Bancroft.  In 
the  evening  we  went  to  a  pleasant  party  at  Mrs.  Henry  Gary's,  of 
New  York,  who  has  been  passing  the  summer  in  this  place. 

Sunday,  Sept.  7.  —  To  Spencer,  seven  miles;  to  Leicester,  five; 
to  Worcester,  six,  to  breakfast.  Worcester  is  one  of  the  finest 
towns  in  Massachusetts,  and  much  improved  within  a  few  years. 
It  is  the  residence  of  Governor  Lincoln.  The  Blackstone  canal 
commences  at  Worcester.  To  Needham,  eight  miles  ;  to  Newton, 
four ;  to  Boston,  by  Brighton,  nine.     We  entered  the  city  by  the 


i82S.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLTP   HONE.  3 

Mill  Dam  road,  about  six  o'clock,  of  a  most  beautiful  Sunday 
afternoon.  I  shall  never  forget  the  delightful  impression  I  received 
from  this  entree.     We  took  lodgings  at  Mrs.  Lekain's,  Pearl  street. 

Boston,  Monday,  Sept.  8.  —  After  breakfast  I  commenced  my 
Boston  rambles,  and  saw  most  of  the  lions  of  this  fine  city.  Mr. 
Quincy,  the  Mayor,  took  us  through  the  new  market- house,  which 
is  his  hobby,  and  well  worth  seeing.  The  length  of  this  splendid 
receptacle  of  beef,  poultry,  and  potatoes  is  five  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  feet,  its  width  fifty  feet,  and  the  improvement  of  the  vicinity 
consequent  upon  its  erection  renders  it  an  object  of  admiration. 
We  visited  Faneuil  Hall,  the  armory,  the  noble  art  museum,  its 
exhibition  room  (where  at  present  is  exhibited  a  collection  of 
Stuart's  portraits,  for  the  benefit  of  his  family),  the  new  hotel 
building  at  the  corner  of  Tremont  and  School  streets,  the  docks, 
etc.  After  dinner,  Mr.  H.  G.  Otis  called  and  took  me  out  to 
Quincy  to  visit  the  President,  but  we  found  that  he  had  departed 
suddenly  this  afternoon  for  Washington.  We  had,  however,  a 
pleasant  ride,  saw  the  Quincy  railroad  and  quarry  of  granite,  and 
returned  to  town  by  the  way  of  Roxbury.  In  the  evening  I  went 
for  a  short  time  to  the  theatre  in  Tremont  street ;  a  handsome 
theatre,  but  not  a  first-rate  company. 

Thursday,  Sept,  ii.  —  We  rode  out  after  dinner  with  the  Mayor 
to  see  Quincy,  etc.  The  railroad  and  granite  quarry  are  objects 
of  great  curiosity,  and  are  now  in  fine  operation.  On  our  return 
from  the  quarry  we  stopped  to  see  a  handsome  edifice  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Quincy,  —  a  new  meeting-house,  nearly  finished.  It  is  a 
beautiful  piece  of  architecture,  and  its  massy  columns  of  granite 
are  probably  the  best  specimens  of  that  fine  material  which  have 
yet  been  brought  into  use.  They  are  single  shafts,  formed  each 
of  an  entire  block,  very  perfect,  twenty-five  feet  in  height,  and 
twelve  feet  eight  inches  in  circumference.  We  took  tea  with  Mrs. 
Quincy,  and  returned  to  Boston  in  the  evening. 

Friday,  Sept.  12. — This  morning  was  employed  in  a  visit  with 
Mr.  Otis  to  the  City  Hospital,  and  to  the  hospital  for  lunatics  at 


4  TITK   DIARY    OF    PIIIUP    HONE.  [.'Etat.  48. 

Lechmore  Point.  The  last-named  establishment  occupies  a  large 
house,  formerly  the  residence  of  j\Ir,  Barrell,  to  which  spacious  wings 
have  been  added,  and  several  court-yards  for  the  recreation  of  the 
patients.  The  arrangement  of  these  courts  and  of  the  buildings 
admits  of  a  classification  of  the  patients,  which  has  been  much 
wanted  in  our  asylum  at  Bloomingdale.  I  dined  with  an  agreeable 
party  at  Mr.  Otis's,  and  in  the  evening  accompanied  my  daughter 
to  a  party  at  Mrs.  Otis's,  and  another  party  at  Mrs.  Derby's. 

Sunday,  Sept.  14.  —  Went  to  St.  Paul's  Church  in  the  forenoon, 
and  heard  a  sermon  from  Mr.  Alonzo  Potter,  the  pastor  of  that 
church.  This  gendeman  is  son-in-law  to  Dr.  Nott,  President  of 
Union  College.  After  dinner  we  rode  out  to  Colonel  Perkins's, 
at  Brookline,  where  we  took  tea;  and  in  the  evening  went  to 
Mr.  Otis's.  Colonel  Perkins  has  one  of  the  finest  places  in  the 
neighbourhood ;  his  wall  fruit  and  grapery  are  justly  celebrated, 
and  are  now  in  great  perfection. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  16. — We  went  on  an  excursion  to  Waltham, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tilden  and  Mr.  Payne  ;  visited  the 
celebrated  seat  and  ground  of  Mr.  Lyman,  and  the  splendid  man- 
sion of  the  late  Governor  Gore,  where  we  were  kindly  received  and 
entertained  by  Mrs,  Gore.  This  great  man  has  been  dead  eighteen 
months,  and  his  widow  has  lived  in  retirement  ever  since.  I  dined 
at  Gen.  Theodore  Lyman's,  who  lives  in  very  handsome  style,  and 
has  the  best  library  I  have  seen  in  Boston.  Passed  the  evening 
with  a  party  at  Mrs.  Cunningham's.  This  lady,  who  is  lately 
married,  is  the  daughter  of  Rufus  Amory. 

Friday,  Sept.  19. — We  started  for  Providence  at  twelve 
o'clock;  came  to  Dedham,  ten  miles,  to  dinner.  A  fine  morn- 
ing, with  fair  wind,  made  the  latter  part  of  our  voyage  very 
pleasant,  and  we  arrived  in  New  York  at  twelve  o'clock  noon, 
having  performed  the  voyage  from  Providence  in  seventeen 
hours  and  a  half. 

Wednesday,  Oct.  15. —  The  following  party  dined  with  us: 
Lord  Bishop  Inglis,  of  Nova  Scotia,  his  lady,  and  two  daughters ; 


i828.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  5 

Mr.  R.  Cochran,  Mr.  Henry  Hone,  Mr.  H.  Brevoort,  Mr.  D. 
Lynch,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  B.  Astor,  Mr.  C.  and  Miss  Brugiere, 
Mr.  Eugene  Cruger.  DecUned  :  Dr.  Wainwright  and  lady.  Bishop 
Hobart,  Chancellor  and  Mrs.  Kent,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  S.  Hone, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Hamilton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  W.  Ludlow, 
Rev.  Mr.  Schroeder. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  5.  —  Mrs.  Montgomery,  widow  of  Creneral 
Montgomery,  died  this  day  at  her  residence  on  the  Ncjrth  river, 
aged  eighty-six  years. 

Saturday,  Nov.  8.  —  This  being  the  day  fixed  upon  for  the 
delivery  of  Dr.  Hosack's  eulogium  on  the  character  of  the  late 
Governor  Clinton,  which  was  prepared  at  the  joint  request  of  the 
Committee  of  Citizens  and  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society, 
I  formed  one  of  a  large  collection  of  gentlemen  who  assembled  at 
the  City  Hall  and  walked  in  procession  to  the  Middle  Dutch 
Church.  The  doctor's  oradon  or  memoir  was  extremely  interest- 
ing, ami  secured  the  attention  of  a  highly  respectable  audience 
during  the  whole  of  its  delivery,  which  occupied  two  hours  and  a 
quarter,  although  he  left  out  one-half  of  that  which  he  had  pre- 
pared. This  part  will  be  restored  in  the  publication  of  the  work, 
and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  Dr.  Hosack  will  add  to  his  literary 
reputation  by  this  elaborate  and  able  production. 

Friday,  Nov.  14.  —  Visited  the  Asylum  this  morning,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Richards;  dined  with  Mr.  1).  S.  Jones.  On  my 
return  home,  the  Bishop,  who  had  made  an  appointment  with  me 
at  Mr.  Jones's,  called  at  my  house  and  proposed  in  confidence 
the  plan  of  a  cathedral  to  be  erected  on  Washington  Square. 
The  idea  of  a  magnificent  diocesan  church  is  a  very  imposing  one, 
and  strikes  my  mind  favourably,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  location 
suggested  by  the  Bishop  is  the  best  in  the  city,  and  can  be  ob- 
tained at  a  moderate  price.  Lidependently  of  the  advantages 
which  our  church  would  derive  from  such  an  establishment,  the 
erection  of  such  an  edifice  would  improve  the  property  in  its 
vicinity  and  render  the  square  the  most  desirable  residence  in  the 


6  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  4S. 

city.  But  where  is  tlie  money,  where  the  pubUc  spirit,  where 
the  liberaHty,  to  carry  such  a  noble  plan  into  execution?  Above 
all,  who  will  take  a  lead  in  it  ?  I  cannot ;  I  am  already  engaged 
in  more  business  of  this  kind  than  I  can  do  justice  to,  and  it  has 
been  my  fate  to  be  so  often  repulsed  by  the  cold,  calculating  ob- 
jections of  that  portion  of  my  fellow-citizens  who  have  the  ability 
to  promote  objects  of  public  improvement,  that  I  am  discouraged 
from  attempting  again  to  encounter  them.  I  note  in  this  place 
the  conference  above  mentioned,  as  it  is  possible  that  this  glorious 
project  may,  one  of  these  days,  be  carried  into  effect,  and  I 
beUeve  this  is  the  first  time  it  has  ever  been  hinted.  Riding  home 
from  Mr.  Jones's  with  Mr.  Martin  Van  Buren,  the  governor-elect, 
I  took  occasion  to  interest  him  in  the  subject  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  canal,  and  hope  he  may  be  induced  to  direct,  in  his  in- 
augural message,  the  attention  of  the  Legislature  to  this  object. 

Saturday,  Dec.  6.  —  Chancellor  Kent  delivered  an  address  this 
day  before  the  Historical  Society,  —  a  most  beautiful  production, 
interesting  in  its  details,  affecting  and  impressive  in  its  style,  and 
read  in  a  chaste  and  elegant  manner.  By  the  exertions  of  a  few 
individuals  this  society  has  been  resuscitated,  its  affairs  relieved 
from  embarrassment,  the  valuable  library  rescued  from  the  neglect 
and  confusion  in  which  it  has  lain  for  years,  the  apartments  cleaned 
and  beautified,  and  the  whole  rendered  entirely  worthy  of  the 
patronage  and  support  of  the  public.  These  important  changes 
have  been  principally  effected  by  the  zeal,  industry,  and  good 
taste  of  Mr.  John  Delafield,  who  has,  for  several  months  past,  de- 
voted much  of  his  time  and  attention  to  that  object. 

Wednesday,  Dec.  10.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Goold  Hoyt,  and  in 
the  evening  attended,  in  the  circuit  court-room.  City  Hall,  Judge 
Betts's  introductory  lecture  to  a  course  of  commercial-law  lectures 
which  he  has  undertaken  to  deliver  at  the  request  of  the  ^Mercantile 
Library  Association.  The  sloop  "Toleration"  arrived  this  day 
from  Kingston  with  a  cargo  of  coal,  the  first-fruits  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  canal. 


i828.]  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  / 

Thursday,  Dec.  i  i  .  —  Dined  with  Mr.  Robert  Lenox,  and  in 
the  evening  Anthon,  Van  Schaick,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  and  their  wives 
supped  with  us. 

Monday,  Dec.  29.  —  The  new  Board  of  Common  Council  was 
organized  this  day,  and  proceeded  to  elect  a  Mayor  for  the  en- 
suing year.  The  following  was  the  result  of  the  first  ballot : 
For  Walter  Bowne,  25  ;  Peter  A.  Jay,  i;  Philip  Hone,  i.  Har- 
rison Gray  Otis  was  elected  a  few  days  since  to  the  office  of 
Mayor  of  Boston. 


THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILIl'   HONE.  [/Etat.  49. 


1829. 

TT  7EDNESDAY,    Jan.    14.  —  Being    engaged    from    eleven 

*  •  o'clock  this  morning  until  nine  in  the  evening  as  a  juror 
on  a  difficult  cause,  I  was  prevented  from  dining  with  Mr.  James 
G.  King,  as  I  intended.  The  officers  of  the  Literary  and  Philo- 
sophical Society  assembled  at  my  house  and  supped,  together  with 
Chancellor  Kent,  Dr.  Matthews,  Messrs.  Morse,  Cole,  and  Sullivan 
as  visitors.  My  detention  in  court  prevented  me  from  being  at 
home  when  the  company  assembled. 

Tuesday,  Jan.  20. — The  long-talked-of  fancy  ball  at  Mrs. 
Brugiere's  took  place  this  evening.  We  were  present,  and  much 
pleased.  A  large  proportion  of  the  company  went  in  character ; 
the  dresses  were  generally  appropriate,  some  of  them  exceedingly 
splendid,  and  many  of  the  characters  were  supported  with  much 
spirit.     The  rooms  were  crowded,  but  it  went  off  well. 

Friday,  Feb.  6.  —  I  dined  with  Isaac  S.  Hone.  In  the  evening 
attended  a  fancy  ball  at  Mrs.  Abraham  Schermerhorn's,  —  a  very 
splendid  and  delightful  affair. 

Wednesday,  Feb.  i  i  .  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Robert  Maitland, 
and  afterward  met  the  officers  of  the  Literary  and  Philosophi- 
cal Society,  and  supped  at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wain- 
wright. 

Tuesday,  Feb.  17.  —  Died  this  morning,  Simon,  the  celebrated 
cook.  He  was  a  respectable  man,  who  has  for  many  years  been 
the  fashionable  cook  in  New  York,  and  his  loss  will  be  felt  on  all 
occasions  of  large  dinner  and  evening  parties,  unless  it  should  be 
found  that  some  suitable  shoulders  should  be  ready  to  receive  the 
mantle  of  this  distinguished  cuisinier. 

Wednesday,  April  i  .  —  A  lot  of  ground  on  the  west  side  of 
Broadway,  nearly  opposite  Bowling  Green,  and  next,  I  believe,  to 


1829.]  THE   DIARY   OF   riilLIP   HONE.  9 

Mr.  Brevoort's,  was  sold  at  auction  this  day  for  $19,500,  Lot 
about  forty-four  feet  by  one  hundred  and  eighteen. 

Monday,  April  6.  —  Tliis  is  the  commencement  of  the  second 
volume  of  my  diary,  which  I  began  on  the  first  day  of  last  May, 
and  have  continued  since,  with  tolerable  regularity.  I  have  occa- 
sionally introduced  '  matters  of  trifling  importance,  and  have 
omitted  others  which  were  entitled  to  a  place  ;  but  the  employment 
has  afforded  me  some  pleasure,  and  after  its  use  shall  have  become 
confirmed  by  longer  practice,  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  more 
agreeable   and  exceedingly  useful. 

Saturday,  April  i  i  .  —  Weekly  attendance  at  the  Bloomingdale 
Asylum.  Dined  with  Mr.  G.  G.  Rowland,  where  I  met  INIr. 
Jonathan  Meredith,  of  Baltimore,  the  father  of  the  very  agreeable 
young  lady  whom  we  met  last  summer  at  the  Springs,  and  subse- 
quently at  Boston,  and  for  whom  it  is  a  little  expected  that  our 
host  of  to-day  has  conceived  a  tender  penchant. 

Monday,  April  13.  —  Went  with  my  wife  to  Wallack's  benefit  at 
the  Park  Theatre,  —  a  very  great  house.  The  play  was  "Julius 
Caesar  :  "  Brutus,  J.  Wallack  ;  Cassius,  H.  Wallack ;  Marc  Antony, 
Hamblin ;  Portia,  Mrs.  Barnes ;  but  notwithstanding  this  strong 
cast,  it  went  off  heavily,  as  this  tragedy  (intrinsically  excellent  as  it 
is)  always  does. 

Monday,  April  20.  —  I  saw  this  day  two  celebrated  personages, 
—  the  Indian  chief.  Red -Jacket,  and  the  original  of  the  Harvey 
Birch  of  Cooper's  "  Spy."  The  former  is  a  venerable-looking  old 
man,  with  gray  hair,  and  less  of  the  Indian  in  his  looks  and  counte- 
nance than  I  would  have  expected ;  and  the  latter  is  a  tall  old 
man,  who  looks  in  all  respects  the  character  which  he  has  been 
made  to  assume. 

Wednesday,  April  29.  —  Charles  Kneeland,  son  of  Mr.  Henry 
Kneeland,  was  married  this  evening  to  Joanna  Hone,  only  child  of 
my  deceased  nephew,  Philip  J.  Hone.  He  is  a  fine  young  man 
of  excellent  character,  and  the  union  promises  to  be  a  happy  one. 
The  wedding  was  celebrated  at  my  brother  John's.     A  large  party 


lO  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.^tat.49. 

supped,  and  tlie  evening  was  passed  very  pleasantly  for  a  wedding 
party. 

Tuesday,  May  19.  —  The  venerable,  the  patriotic,  the  virtuous, 
John  Jay  died  on  Tuesday  last,  at  his  seat,  Bedford,  Westchester 
County,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  The  Supreme  Court 
(which  is  now  in  session)  adjourned  at  its  hour  of  opening,  as  did 
the  other  courts  now  sitting.  This  delicate  mark  of  respect  was 
alike  honourable  to  the  feelings  of  the  gentlemen  constituting  the 
several  courts,  as  reverential  to  the  memory  of  the  illustrious  de- 
ceased. 

Wednesday,  May  27.  —  Immediately  after  dinner  at  home,  I 
took  ]\Iiss  Helen  Kane  to  the  ship-yards  to  witness  the  launch  of 
the  ship  "  Erie,"  —  a  fine  vessel,  intended  as  one  of  the  Havre  line 
of  packets,  —  whence  I  went  to  Abeel  &  Dunscomb's  foundry  to 
meet  a  large  party  of  gentlemen  who  were  assembled  by  invitation 
to  see  one  of  the  new  locomotive  engines  in  operation,  which  was 
recently  imported  from  England  for  the  use  of  the  railroad  be- 
longing to  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company. 

Thursday,  May  28.  —  The  second  locomotive  steam-engine 
which  was  imported  for  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company 
was  set  in  operation  this  afternoon  at  the  works  of  the  Messrs. 
Kemble,  in  presence  of  a  large  number  of  gentlemen,  and  suc- 
ceeded as  well  as  the  one  I  saw  yesterday  at  Abeel  &  Dunscomb's. 

Saturday,  June  6.  —  I  accompanied  the  young  Count  Ney  and 
Count  Girardin  to  dine  with  Mr.  Prime  at  Hurl  Gate.  The  former 
gentleman  brought  me,  on  his  arrival  in  this  country,  a  letter  from 
General  Lafayette,  and  more  recently,  on  his  return  from  a  visit  to 
Count  Survilliers  (Joseph  Bonaparte),  a  letter  from  my  venerable 
friend,  Count  Real.  He  is  the  third  son  of  the  gallant  Marshal 
Ney,  Prince  of  Moskowa,  whose  brilliant  career  in  arms  and  un- 
happy death  have  rendered  him  distinguished  in  the  annals  of 
Europe.  The  count  is  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  is  said  to 
resemble  his  father.  The  Count  Girardin  was  a  distinguished 
officer  in  the  army  of  Bonaparte,  and  has  seen  much  service. 


1S29.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  II 

Tuesday,  Aug.  4.  —  The  house  and  lot  No.  49  Wall  street, 
recently  occupied  by  the  Pacific  Insurance  Company,  twenty-nine 
feet  on  Wall  street,  and  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  deep, 
was  sold  this  day  at  auction  to  Joel  Post  for  $38,100, 

FRroAY,  Nov.  27.  —  The  Hon.  Bushrod  Washington,  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  died  yesterday 
at  the  Mansion  House  Hotel,  Philadelphia,  in  the  seventy-first  year 
of  his  age.  He  had  been  engaged  in  holding  the  Circuit  Court  in 
New  Jersey,  and  was  taken  ill  in  Philadelphia  on  his  return. 


THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  50. 


1830. 


■pj^RIDAY,  Feb.  5. — I  dined  with  Mr.  Charles  McEvers,  after 
-^  which  I  attended  Professor  Renwick's  first  lecture  on  the 
steam-engine.  This  lecture  was  confined  to  the  doctrine  and  prin- 
ciples of  heat  and  its  application,  and  was  illustrated  by  many 
beautiful  experiments,  in  which  the  Professor  was  assisted  by  Dr. 
Eller.  Professor  Renwick's  clear,  familiar,  and  colloquial  manner 
of  lecturing  is  peculiarly  satisfactory  and  interesting,  and  ex- 
tremely well  calculated  to  impart  instruction  to  his  auditors.  The 
lecture  was  attended  by  a  large  and  respectable  auditory  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen. 

Thursday,  March  4.  —  Died  yesterday  morning.  Col.  Richard 
Piatt,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year.  This  gentleman  was  a  veteran  of 
the  Revolutionary  War.  He  joined  the  army  in  1775  as  lieutenant 
in  Colonel  McDougal's  regiment,  was  in  the  army  which  invaded 
Canada  under  General  Schuyler,  was  acting  adjutant-general  under 
General  Montgomery  in  the  attack  upon  Quebec  on  the  3 1  st  of 
December,  1775,  and  was  deputy  quartermaster-general  at  the 
surrender  of  the  British  army  under  Comwallis  on  the  21st  of 
October,  1 7  8 1 . 

Tuesday,  March  9.  —  The  following  party  dined  with  us  :  Gen- 
eral Lewis,  M.  Livingston,  G.  G.  Rowland,  George  Griffin,  P.  A. 
Jay,  R.  L.  Patterson,  A.  Schermerhorn,  President  W.  A.  Duer,  Mr. 
William  B.  Astor,  P.  G.  Stuyvesant,  Henry  Cary,  Chancellor  Kent, 
Henry  Hone,  Richard  C.  Derby,  Rev.  Dr.  Wainwright. 

Friday,  March  12.  —  I  left  this  morning  on  an  excursion  to 
Washington  at  six  o'clock  precisely.  The  steamboat  "Thistle," 
belonging  to  the  Union  Line,  started  from  the  Battery,  arrived  at 
Brunswick  before  ten,  and  the  passengers  started  immediately  in 
nine  post-coaches.     We  found  the  road  verv  fine,  and  took  the 


1830.]  THE    DIARY   OF    rillLIP   HONE.  1 3 

Steamboat  "  Swan  "  seven  miles  below  Trenton,  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania side  of  the  Delaware.  The  Union  Line  has  been  running 
only  nine  days.  It  is  exceedingly  well  conducted,  and  the  accom- 
modations by  land  and  water  are  very  good.  I  arrived  in  Phila- 
delphia at  six  P.M.,  and  put  up  at  Head's  Mansion  House. 

Baltimore,  Sunday,  March  14. — The  steam-packet  was  to 
have  left  Philadelphia  at  six  o'clock  yesterday  morning,  but  did 
not  till  noon.  I  then  started,  and  arrived  at  Newcastle  on  the 
Delaware  at  half-past  four ;  from  thence  in  stages  to  French  Town, 
where  we  again  took  a  steamboat,  and  arrived  here  at  half-past  two 
this  morning.  I  am  very  pleasantly  lodged  at  Barnum's  Hotel, 
Monument  square.  The  Washington  monument  in  Howard  Park 
is  nearly  finished,  being  surmounted  by  the  figure  of  the  father  of 
his  country.  It  is  well  proportioned,  and  the  material  —  a  fine 
gray  granite  —  is  beautiful.  The  situation,  on  the  slope  of  a  hill, 
is  well  chosen  to  display  the  grandeur  and  simplicity  of  this  noble 
specimen  of  art. 

I  paid  this  morning  a  visit,  which  I  have  long  been  wishing  for, 
to  the  venerable  Charles  Carroll,  the  only  surviving  signer  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  He  will  be  ninety- four  years  of  age 
next  September.  His  faculties  are  very  little  impaired,  except  his 
sight,  which  within  J;he  last  few  months  has  failed  a  little,  and  de- 
prives him  of  the  pleasure  of  reading  at  all  times,  which  he  has 
heretofore  enjoyed.  He  is  gay,  cheerful,  polite,  and  talkative. 
He  described  to  me  his  manner  of  living :  he  takes  a  cold  bath 
every  morning  in  the  summer,  plunging  headlong  into  it ;  rides  on 
horseback  from  eight  to  twelve  miles  ;  drinks  water  at  dinner  ;  has 
never  drunk  spirituous  liquors  at  any  period  of  his  life,  but  drinks 
a  glass  or  two  of  Madeira  wine  every  day,  and  sometimes  cham- 
pagne and  claret ;  takes  as  much  exercise  as  possible ;  goes  to  bed 
at  nine  o'clock,  and  rises  before  day. 

Wednesday,  March  17.  —  Continual  rain  during  the  day  con- 
fined me  to  the  house  until  noon.  I  then  walked  out  to  pay  a  few 
visits,  and    dined  with    a   very   agreeable    party   at    Mr.  Robert 


14  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  50. 

Gilmor's.  This  gentleman  lives  in  handsome  style ;  nobody  in 
America  gives  better  dinners  or  more  exquisite  wines.  His  collec- 
tion of  pictures  is  very  fine,  and  his  house  is  filled  with  specimens 
of  the  fine  arts  and  objects  of  taste  and  virtu. 

Thursday,  March  18. — The  morning  being  fine,  Mr.  Brown, 
one  of  the  acting  directors  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 
Company,  called  after  breakfast  to  take  me  out  to  see  the  com- 
mencement of  this  great  work,  which  is  the  cause  of  so  much  pride 
and  such  sanguine  expectations  to  the  Baltimoreans.  Besides  Mr. 
Brown  and  myself,  our  party  consisted  of  Professor  McVickar  and  his 
daughter,  of  New  York ;  Mr.  DeGrafife,  of  Schenectady ;  Mr.  Derby 
and  two  other  Bostonians ;  and  Mr.  Meredith.  The  wind  being 
strong  from  the  north-west,  we  were  conveyed  with  great  rapidity 
a  short  distance  in  a  car  propelled  by  sails,  a  very  pleasant  mode 
of  travelling. 

Washington,  Sunday,  March  21.  —  I  left  Baltimore  after  break- 
fast, arrived  here  at  two  o'clock,  and  put  up  at  Gadsby's.  After 
dinner,  I  walked  with  Mr.  C.  P.  White,  member  of  Congress  from 
New  York,  nearly  to  Georgetown.  The  weather  is  remarkably  fine, 
and  I  met  many  of  my  acquaintances  in  my  walk. 

Monday,  March  22.  —  I  called  upon  the  Secretary  of  State  this 
morning ;  also  upon  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Mr.  Berrien,  Attor- 
ney-General;  Mr.  Huygens,  Minister  of  the  Netherlands;  Mr. 
Vaughan,  British  Minister,  etc.  The  remainder  of  the  day  until 
dinner  was  occupied  at  the  Capitol.  The  Speaker  gave  me  the 
entree  to  the  floor  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  Mr.  Web- 
ster to  the  Senate  and  to  the  Supreme  Court,  which  adjourned  its 
session  while  I  was  present.  I  was  introduced  to  the  judges,  and 
had  the  pleasure  of  a  few  minutes'  conversation  with  that  great  and 
good  man,  John  Marshall. 

Tuesday,  March  23.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Vaughan,  the  British 
Minister.  He  lives  in  handsome  style,  and  his  dinners  are  more 
recherche  than  those  of  any  other  person  here.  Our  party  consisted 
of  the  following  gentlemen :    Messrs.  Webster,  Tazewell,  Archer, 


1S30.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  15 

McTavish,  Cambreling ;  Colonel  Drayton ;  Judge  Vanderpoel,  of 
New  York ;  Professor  McVickar ;  Baron  Stackelberg,  charge  from 
Sweden ;  Pedersen,  from  Denmark ;  Neiderstetter,  from  Prussia ; 
Tacon,  Minister  Resident  of  Spain ;  Mr.  Bankhead,  British  Secre- 
tary of  Legation ;  and  Count  de  Menon,  charge  of  France. 

Wednesday,  March  24.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Webster,  where  I 
met  General  Harrison  ;  Governor  Tyler,  of  Virginia ;  Mr.  Edward 
Everett  and  Mr.  Silsbee,  of  Massachusetts ;  Mr.  Grundy,  of  Ten- 
nessee ;  Count  de  Menon ;  Mr.  Vaughan ;  Mr.  Devereux ;  Professor 
McVickar,  his  daughter,  etc. 

Thursday,  March  25.  —  I  called  this  morning  with  Mr.  Webster 
to  visit  Mr.  Adams,  late  President.  His  health  and  spirits  are 
good,  and  we  paid  an  agreeable  visit. 

Friday,  March  26.  —  I  passed  two  or  three  hours  this  morning 
in  returning  visits,  after  which  I  went  to  the  House.  No  business 
of  importance  is  under  consideration,  but  I  have  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  talking  with  all  the  leading  members.  I  infer  from  what  I 
hear  that  the  administration  is  losing  ground.  The  proscriptive 
course  which  has  been  pursued  in  relation  to  removals  and  appoint- 
ments has  served  to  cool  their  friends  and  to  exasperate  their  ene- 
mies, and  the  difficulties  which  exist  in  the  Senate  in  regard  to 
several  important  nominations  is  considered  an  indication  of  public 
opinion.  If  Jackson  succeeds  for  another  term,  it  will  be  owing  to 
the  difficulty  of  agreeing  upon  his  successor,  rather  than  to  the 
popularity  of  his  administration.  If  DeWitt  Clinton  had  lived, 
what  a  chance  New  York  would  now  have  had  for  a  President !  As 
it  is,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  Van  Buren  is  the  prominent  candi- 
date. The  Virginians  say  that  if  he  had  refused  to  take  office  with 
his  present  associates,  or  exerted  himself  to  procure  a  better  selec- 
tion, he  would  have  been  their  candidate. 

Dined  with  Mr.  Stevenson,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, where  I  met  The  following  party:  The  Vice-President ;  Mr. 
Tazewell ;  Mr.  Livingston,  of  Louisiana ;  Drayton  ;  Poinsett ;  Cam- 
breling ;  General  Harrison  ;  Martin  White,  of  Florida  ;  C.  P.  White  ; 


1 6  THE   DIARY   OF   rilTIJP   HONE.  [^tat.  50. 

and  General  Wood.  In  the  evening  I  went  to  a  ladies'  party  at 
Mrs.  Silsbee's. 

Baltimore,  Monday,  March  29.  —  I  took  my  leave  of  the  mag- 
nificent Wilderness  at  nine  o'clock,  and  a  very  pleasant  ride  of  five 
hours  and  a  half  brought  me  to  Baltimore,  I  passed  the  first  part 
of  the  day  in  walking  and  visiting,  and  dined  at  Mr.  Meredith's 
with  a  very  pleasant  little  party,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Gilmor, 
Fricke,  Glenn,  John  Hoffman,  Judge  Randall,  and  Mr.  Wirt.  This 
is  the  first  time  during  this  visit  that  I  have  met  the  latter  gentle- 
man.    He  was,  as  usual,  gay,  agreeable,  and  instructive. 

New  York,  Saturday,  April  10.  — Married,  on  Tuesday  evening 
last,  Byam  Kirby  Stevens,  to  Frances,  daughter  of  Albert  Gallatin. 

Wednesday,  April  28.  —  The  following  party  dined  with  us: 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howland,  Mr.  Meredith,  of  Baltimore,  Commander 
Chauncey,  F.  E.  Granger,  Mr.  Charles  Hammond,  Thomas  L. 
Ogden,  Mr.  Abr'm  Ogden,  S.  S.  Howland,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  Nath. 
Amory,  James  Stevenson,  A.  Schermerhorn,  Edward  R.  Jones. 
Mr.  Robert  Gilmor  joined  us  after  dinner,  immediately  on  his 
arrival  from  Baltimore.  Mr.  Bradish,  who  was  expected  from 
Albany,  did  not  arrive.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  a  whist  party, 
and  supped  at  Mrs.  Edgar's. 

Friday,  April  30.  —  I  attended,  with  my  wife  and  daughters, 
the  opening  of  the  Spring  exhibition  of  the  National  Academy  of 
Design.  A  large  number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  assembled, 
and  a  collation  was  provided.  The  exhibition  is  better  than  usual, 
but  the  crowd  was  too  great  to  admit  of  the  pictures  being  seen  to 
advantage.  There  are  some  fine  pictures  of  Weir's.  This  artist  is 
improving  astonishingly.  There  are  also  some  good  things  by 
Inman. 

Monday,  May  10.  —  I  went  this  morning  with  my  wife  and  the 
girls  to  take  leave  of  our  friends  who  have  sailed  in  the  fine  ship 
"  De  Rham  "  for  Havre.  We  went  down  in  the  steamboat  to  the 
ship,  which  lay  in  the  bay  between  Governor's  and  Bedlow's 
Islands.     She  has  about  thirty-six  passengers,  among  whom  are  Mr. 


iS30.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  1 7 

and  Mrs.  Depau  ;  Miss  Stephanie  and  Mr.  Louis  Depau  ;  Miss  Mary 
E.  Livingston,  daughter  of  Maturin  Livingston  ;  Capt.  John  B.  Nicol- 
son,  U.S.N. ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Breese  ;  Robert  Cutting  ;  and  a  young 
son  of  James  G.  King. 

A  match  race  was  run  on  the  Union  course  between  Arietta,  a 
Southern  mare  belonging  to  Colonel  Johnson,  and  Ariel,  belonging 
to  Hamilton  Wilkes ;  and  a  race  between  Slender,  a  Virginia  mare, 
and  John  C.  Stevens's  mare.  Black  Maria.  Both  these  races  were 
easily  won  by  the  Southern  people,  at  considerable  expense  to  our 
sportsmen. 

A  singularly  ridiculous  article  appeared  under  the  signature  of 
Mr.  J.  W.  Webb  in  the  "  Courier  and  Enquirer  "  of  this  morning, 
of  which  he  is  editor,  relating  an  account  of  a  fracas  between  him 
and  Duff  Green  in  Washington  on  Thursday  last.  Webb  went  on 
to  flog  Green,  and  the  latter  armed  himself  with  a  pistol,  and  was  so 
unreasonable  as  to  refuse  his  consent  to  let  the  other  pull  his  nose 
and  slap  his  face.  The  public  might  say,  with  lago,  in  relation  to 
this  quarrel,— 

"  Now  whether  he  kill  Cassio, 
Or  Cassio  him,  or  each  do  kill  the  other, 
Every  way  makes  my  gain." 

Friday,  May  14.  —  I  attended  a  meeting  this  evening,  by  invi- 
tation, at  Dr.  Wainwright's,  of  the  Literary  Club,  which  meet  at 
stated  periods  at  the  houses  of  each  other,  consisting  of  Chancellor 
Kent,  Mr.  Gallatin,  the  professors  of  the  college,  and  other  gen- 
tlemen, with  several  strangers  of  eminence  and  learned  acquire- 
ments. 

Mo>roAY,  May  31.  —  I  went  this  evening  to  see  Booth  play  lago 
to  Cooper's  Othello  ;  Desdemona,  Mrs.  Barnes.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber to  have  ever  seen  Booth,  and  was  rather  disappointed  in  his 
performance.  It  was  respectable,  but  wanted  spirit,  raciness,  and 
point ;  but  I  do  not  wonder  at  it,  for  Cooper  is  a  perfect  wet- 
blanket  resting  upon  all  around,  stale,  flat,  and  unprofitable.     Oh, 


l8  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  50. 

most  lame  and  impotent  conclusion  !  Is  this  the  man  whom  I 
remember  to  have  seen  in  my  boyish  days  at  the  theatre,  then  in 
Greenwich  street?  We  have  both  grown  older,  but  I  am  only  a 
looker-on  in  Verona,  and  am  not  compelled  to  obtrude  my  infirm- 
ities upon  the  public  notice.     Tant  mieiix  pour  moi. 

Sunday,  July  4.  —  I  am  wearing  the  black-silk  vest  which  was 
presented  to  me  on  the  4th  of  July,  1827,  and  which  was  im- 
ported into  New  York  in  the  year  1776.  The  condition  of  its 
acceptance  was  that  I  should  wear  it  on  every  4th  of  July  during 
my  life,  and  that  it  should  descend  to  my  oldest  son. 

Monday,  July  5 .  —  I  dined  with  the  Corporation  pretty  much 
in  the  usual  way,  —  a  mixture  of  public  characters  and  of  persons 
who  should  not  have  been  invited.  A  poor  dinner  poorly  served 
up  and  a  want  of  tact  and  good  management  characterized  this 
annual  fete  of  the  municipality.  The  presence  of  the  new  French 
Minister  gave  occasion  to  some  speeches  and  toasts  mutually 
complimentary  to  his  country  and  its  sovereign,  and  to  the  little 
sovereigns  of  our  city.  In  the  evening  I  walked  down  to  Castle 
Garden  with  Lieutenant  Cooke  of  the  Fifteenth  Regiment,  British 
Infantry,  who  has  just  brought  me  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
Captain  Hope  at  Quebec.  We  found  this  charming  place  filled 
with  respectable,  orderly  people,  and  witnessed  a  good  display  of 
fireworks.  The  evening  was  fine,  and  the  beauty  of  the  scene 
made  amends  for  some  of  the  disgusting  objects  which  our  streets 
have  exhibited  during  the  day. 

Friday,  July  16. — The  following  party  dined  with  us:  Mr.  C. 
Bankhead,  Secretary  of  the  British  Legation,  and  his  lady ;  Baron 
Krudener,  Baron  Stackelberg,  Count  Ney,  Mrs.  Cornwall,  Mr. 
James  Bowdoin,  Dom.  Lynch,  James  A.  Hamilton,   Isaac  Hone. 

Ballston  Springs,  Wednesday,  July  21.  —  We  arrived  in  Albany 
at  six  o'clock  this  morning,  breakfasted  on  board  the  boat,  and 
started  at  eight  o'clock  in  my  barouche  and  a  post-coach,  and 
got  to  Sans-Souci  at  seven  in  the  evening.  Loomis's  House  has 
never  been  so  full  so    early  in  the  season  as  this.     Among  his 


iSjo.]  THE    DIARY   OF   rilTUP   HONE.  19 

boarders  we  found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  and  Miss  Brown,  Chevalier  Iluy- 
gens  and  his  family,  Mrs.  Joshua  Jones  and  her  daughter,  Mr. 
Isaac  I.  Jones  and  wife,  the  Misses  Mason,  the  families  of  Messrs. 
Kernochan,  Parish,  and  Suffern,  Mrs,  Charles  Clinton,  Miss 
Joanna  Anthon,  the  Misses  Bridgen,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Hamilton 
and  their  family,  INIajor  Fowler,  Mr.  Hall,  etc.,  which,  with  the 
addition  of  my  large  party,  will  form  a  formidable  array  at  the 
breakfast  table  to-morrow  morning. 

New  York,  Tuesday,  Aug.  3.  —  Commencement  of  Columbia 
College  at  St.  John's  Church  this  morning.  I  attended  during  the 
whole  time  and  was  much  interested  in  the  exercises.  The  young 
gentlemen  generally  made  a  very  respectable  appearance.  The 
first  honours  in  the  senior  class  were  awarded  to  Franklin  Miller, 
son  of  Sylvanus  Miller,  and  in  the  junior  class  to  Robert  Emery, 
who  is  the  head  of  his  class.  The  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  was 
conferred  upon  James  Bowdoin,  Hugh  T.  Dickey,  Benjamin  F.  Fer- 
guson, Lewis  C.  Gusen,  Nicholas  C.  Heyward,  George  Kneeland, 
Jr.,  Edward  Jones,  John  T.  Kneeland,  Henry  Ledyard,  Franklin 
Miller,  Henry  C.  Murphy,  Henry  Nicoll,  Charles  H.  Ogden, 
William  Steele,  Jr.,  William  D.  Waddington,  and  George  Wm. 
Wright ;  also  upon  William  B.  Boggs,  Robert  L.  Cutting,  and  John 
Delafield,  Jr.,  members  of  the  senior  class  who  are  absent  by  per- 
mission. The  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  upon  John 
M.  Forbes  and  Henry  J.  Morton,  the  two  young  gentlemen  who 
were  on  Sunday  ordained  deacons  in  Trinity  Church,  and  also 
upon  Hamilton  Fish,  J.  Trumbull  Backus,  and  Grenville  Temple 
Winthrop.  The  Latin  salutatory  was  delivered  by  Franklin  Miller, 
the  English  salutatory  by  Henry  Nicoll,  and  the  valedictory  by 
Edward  Jones. 

Wednesday,  Aug.  4.  —  I  left  home  this  morning  at  seven  o'clock 
in  the  "Albany  "  with  my  wife,  two  sons,  Miss  Louisa  Fairlie,  and 
Miss  Harriet  Kane,  who  are  to  accompany  us  to  the  Springs. 

Ballston,  Saturday,  Aug.  14.  —  A  fancy  ball  was  given  last 
evening  at  Sans-Souci,  which  was  confined  to  the  boarders  in  the 


20  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  50. 

house.  It  was  gotten  up  at  short  notice,  but  went  off  remarkably 
well.     The  characters  were  supported  by  the  following  ladies  :  — 

Mrs.  James  Thomson,  a  Swiss  peasant ;  Mrs.  Isaac  Jones,  la 
dame  blanche ;  Mrs.  Talmadge,  a  black  nun ;  Miss  Fairlie,  a  Bohe- 
mian fortune-teller ;  Miss  Lawrence,  brigand's  wife  ;  Miss  Dennison, 
a  Sultana  ;  Miss  .  French,  French  peasant ;  Miss  Mason,  character 
from  La  Rossignol ;  Miss  Sarah  Mason,  Virginia ;  Miss  Margaret 
Hone,  a  white  nun  ;  Miss  Mary  Hone,  an  Austrian  peasant ;  Miss 
Sarah  Livingston,  a  Scotch  lassie ;  Miss  Matilda  Livingston,  a 
Quakeress;  Miss  Harriet  Kane,  a  French  pedler;  Miss  Morris, 
a  peasant. 

Gentlemen  :  Mr.  P.  Hone,  Lord  Ogilby ;  Mr.  James  Thomson, 
Uncle  Ben ;  Mr.  Cooper,  Mrs.  Lobden  and  a  tiger ;  Dr.  Greenhow, 
Voltaire ;  Mr.  Van  Zandt,  a  Tryolese  hunter ;  Mr.  Van  Schaick, 
Peter  McGrowler ;  Mr.  John  C.  Hamilton,  an  astrologer ;  General 
Fleming,  a  friar ;  Judge  Morris,  a  fireman ;  Mr.  Vail,  a  French  vil- 
lage bridegroom ;  Messrs.  AUston,  Schermerhorn,  John  P.  Hone,  and 
John  Kane,  four  Austrian  hussars  ;  Mr.  John  Mason,  an  Albanian  ; 
Mr.  Washington  Coster,  Scotch  lassie ;  Robert  S.  Hone,  Bob,  the 
sailor  boy ;  Mr.  Carter  Lee,  Paul ;  Mr.  Whetton,  an  old  gentleman. 

New  York,  Tuesday,  Aug.  24.  —  Died  yesterday.  Col.  Marinus 
Willet,  aged  ninety  years  and  eleven  days.  His  name  is  advan- 
tageously identified  with  the  events  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  in 
which  he  was  a  gallant  soldier  and  distinguished  officer.  He  was 
buried  with  the  honours  of  war,  and  his  funeral  was  attended  by  the 
Mayor  and  Corporation,  the  Society  of  Cincinnati,  and  by  the 
members  of  the  Court  of  Errors,  now  in  session. 

Saturday,  Aug.  28.  —  Our  fair  countrywoman,  the  Marchioness 
of  Wellesley,  granddaughter  of  the  venerable  Charles  Carroll,  has 
been  appointed  first  lady  of  the  bed-chamber  to  Queen  Adelaide, 
consort  of  King  William  IV. 

Wednesday,  Sept.  i.  —  I  went  over  to  the  Park  Theatre  to 
witness  the  first  appearance  in  America  of  Charles  Kean,  the  son 
of  the  celebrated  tragedian.     He  appeared  in  his  father's  great 


1830.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   IIOXE.  21 

part,  Richard  III.,  and  brought  an  overflowing  house.  But  making 
every  allowance  for  the  disadvantages  of  a  first  appearance,  I 
cannot  perceive  that  he  inherits  any  great  proportion  of  his  father's 
genius,  and  is,  in  my  opinion,  quite  deficient  in  the  requisite 
physical  qualities  of  voice,  figure,  and  deportment.  Booth  is  play- 
ing tragedy  at  the  Bowery  Theatre,  and  I  have  no  doubt  will  be 
greatly  preferred  by  theatrical  amateurs. 

Hyde  Park,  Saturday,  Sept.  i  i  .  —  The  weather  is  delightful, 
and  we  have  passed  the  day  in  walking  and  riding  over  Dr.  Hosack's 
splendid  grounds.  Isaac  and  Eliza  Hone  came  here  this  morning 
from  Poughkeepsie,  and  Mr.  Poinsett,  accompanied  by  Don  Lorenzo 
de  Zavalla,  Governor  of  Mexico,  came  in  the  steamboat.  The 
doctor  and  I  went  to  dine  with  Judge  Pendleton,  where  we  met 
Mr.  Allen,  Judge  Johnson,  Mr.  James  Duane  Livingston,  and  Mr. 
Guilliard. 

MoxDAY,  Sept.  13.  —  After  breakfast,  I  went  with  my  wife  and 
Miss  Eliza  Hosack  to  visit  at  Governor  Lewis's,  Judge  Pendleton's, 
and  Mr.  James  Thomson's ;  this  latter  superb  place  is  in  its  usual 
fine  order,  and  the  weather  enabled  us  to  enjoy  the  splendid 
prospect  to  great  advantage.  Our  visits  were  all.  very  pleasant, 
and  our  friends  glad  to  see  us.  We  returned  home  to  dinner, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  day  was  spent  among  the  fine  walks  on 
the  doctor's  place,  and  in  the  literary  delights  of  his  splendid 
library. 

Wednesday,  Sept.  15.  —  I  attended  this  evening  at  the  house  of 
my  niece,  Mrs.  Maria  Hone,  the  wedding  of  Mr.  William  Wood, 
of  Glasgow,  who  was  married  to  my  sweet  young  friend,  Harriet 
Kane.  May  she  be  as  happy  as  she  is  good  and  beautiful !  They 
intend  to  start  on  Friday  on  a  journey  to  Niagara,  and  will  probably 
sail  for  Europe  about  the  ist  of  November. 

Thursday,  Sept.  16. — The  funeral  of  Bishop  Hobart  took  place 
this  afternoon,  under  the  direction  of  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments appointed  by  the  vestry,  of  which  I  was  one.  The  proces- 
sion, embracing  the  governor,  mayor  of  the  city.  Court  of  Errors, 


22  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLir   HONE.  [^tat.  50, 

judges,  vestry  of  Trinity  Church,  and  the  other  vestries  of  Epis- 
copal churches,  the  several  religious  and  literary  and  benevolent 
societies  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  the  clergy  of  different 
denominations  to  the  number  of  more  than  one  hundred,  moved 
from  his  late  residence  in  Varick  street  to  Trinity  Church,  where 
the  funeral  service  was  performed  by  Bishop  Moon,  of  Virginia, 
Mr.  Schroeder,  and  Dr.  Lyell,  and  a  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr. 
Onderdonk.  The  procession  is  said  to  have  contained  five  thousand 
persons,  and  the  streets  on  its  route  were  crowded  with  spectators. 
The  church  was  filled  almost  to  suffocation,  but  everything  was 
conducted  witla  great  decorum  and  propriety.  The  corpse  is  in- 
terred in  the  chancel,  immediately  under  the  communion  table,  and 
the  grave  is  to  be  walled  up  and  an  arch  to  be  thrown  over  it. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  28.  —  The  accounts  from  France,  which  were 
written  after  the  excitement  of  the  Revolution  had  in  some  degree 
subsided,  are  filled  with  interesting  details,  but  no  part  of  them 
excites  so  much  admiration  as  those  in  which  Lafayette  is  men- 
tioned. It  seems  to  be  allowed  on  all  sides  that  to  this  veteran  sol- 
dier of  liberty  the  king  owes  his  crown.  If  he  had  come  out  for 
a  republic,  his  popularity  was  so  great,  and  his  influence  over 
public  opinion  so  absolute,  that  the  great  mass  of  the  principal 
actors  in  the  events  of  the  27th,  28th,  and  29th  of  July  would 
have  been  satisfied  with  nothing  short  of  it,  and,  in  all  probability, 
the  French  people  would  now  have  been  employed  in  cutting  each 
other's  throats  instead  of  being  settled  quietly  dowTi  under  a  liberal 
form  of  government  and  a  patriotic  king,  with  as  much  liberty  as 
the  people  of  this  country  enjoy,  but  under  another  name.  This 
great  citizen  of  France  has  now  seen,  in  his  latter  days,  the  predic- 
tions of  his  former  life  verified,  and  the  glory  and  good  fortune 
which  accompanied  him  in  the  morning  and  meridian  of  his  event- 
ful day  have  not  deserted  him  at  its  close. 

What  a  strange,  eventful  period  in  the  affairs  of  this  world  has 
been  the  brief  fifty  years  during  which  I  have  been  in  it,  and  how 
interesting  a  moment  in  its  history  is  the  present ! 


1830.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  23 

Thursday,  Oct.  14.  —  The  fair  of  the  American  Institute  has 
been  held  yesterday  and  to-day  at  Masonic  Hall.  The  exhibition 
has  embraced  an  immense  variety  of  manufactures,  —  furniture  of 
every  description,  and  every  object  which  the  versatility  of  inven- 
tion and  the  ingenuity  of  our  artisans  and  manufacturers  could 
produce.  In  the  evening  Mr.  Tristram  Burgess,  the  great  cham- 
pion of  the  American  system,  delivered  an  address  before  the 
members  of  the  institution  and  a  large  number  of  spectators,  at 
the  new  court-room  in  the  apartments  formerly  of  the  American 
Museum.  I  had  the  misfortune  to  be  one  of  the  audience,  and 
was  tired  out  by  a  heavy,  inappropriate  jumble  of  far-fetched 
facts  and  unimaginable  imaginings,  and  left  the  place  before  the 
oration  was  concluded.  I  marvel  much  that  the  members  of  the 
institute,  with  their  professed  aversion  to  importation,  and  their 
encouragement  of  home  manufactures,  should  import  nonsense 
from  Rhode  Island  when  we  have  so  good  a  stock  of  the  indige- 
nous article. 

Tuesday,  Oct.  19.  —  Francis  Child  died  at  Burlington,  Vt., 
a  few  days  since,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  He  established  the  New 
York  "  Daily  Advertiser,"  the  first  daily  paper  in  New  York,  the 
first  number  of  which  was  published  March  i,  1785. 

Monday,  Oct.  25.  —  This  day  completes  my  fiftieth  year,  and 
we  had  a  large  family  party  to  celebrate  it.  The  party  consisted 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anthon,  Miss  Caroline  Anthon,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
I.  S.  Hone,  Mr.  Van  Schaick,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Wood,  Miss 
Charlotte  Kane,  Miss  Joanna  Anthon,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Matthews,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Hone,  Mrs.  Maria  Hone,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
Kneeland,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  S.  Howland. 

Thursday,  Oct.  28.  —  I  rented  the  shop  and  cellar  of  Clinton 
Hotel  for  five  years  from  May  next,  at  $700  for  the  first  two  and 
gSoo  for  the  last  three  years,  to  Joshua  Leavitt,  bookseller  for 
Mr.  Appleton. 

Thursday,  Nov.  18.  —  One  of  the  locomotive  engines  on  the 
Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railroad  traversed  the  distance  between 


24  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  50. 

the  two  places,  thirty-two  miles,  in  thirty-three  minutes,  —  about 
fifty-eight  miles  an  hour ! 

Monday,  Nov,  22.  —  Master  Burke,  a  precocious  Roscius  from 
the  Emerald  Isle,  who  arrived  on  Thursday  from  Liverpool, 
made  his  first  appearance  this  evening  at  the  Park  Theatre  in 
"Nor\Ml,"  and  Dr.  O'Toole,  in  the  "Irish  Tutor."  I  saw  him 
for  a  short  time  in  the  farce,  and  think  him  a  remarkably  clever 
boy. 

Sunday,  Nov.  27.  —  Yesterday  took  place  the  New  York  cele- 
bration of  the  late  revolution  in  France.  The  procession,  divided 
into  sixteen  divisions,  was  formed  in  Canal  street,  with  its  right  on 
the  North  river  and  extending  up  Broadway.  At  ten  o'clock  the 
line  of  march  was  formed  and  went  down  Broadway  to  the  Park, 
around  the  Park,  up  Chatham  street  and  the  Bowery  to  Broome 
street,  down  Broome  street  to  Broadway,  up  Broadway  to  Fourth 
street,  down  Fourth  street  to  the  Washington  parade-ground.  At 
this  place  a  stage  had  been  erected,  on  which  the  following  cere- 
monies were  performed :  A  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Day ;  an 
address  to  the  French  people,  written  by  Mr.  John  Duer,  was 
read ;  the  oration,  by  Mr.  Samuel  L.  Gouvemeur ;  after  which  the 
Marseillaise  hymn  and  an  ode  prepared  for  the  occasion  by  Samuel 
Woodworth  were  sung  by  the  choir. 

I  rode  during  the  day  and  superintended  the  whole  as  chairman 
of  the  committee  of  arrangements.  The  procession  was  so  long 
that  when  the  right  entered  Broadway  from  Broome  street,  the 
military,  who  formed  an  unusually  splendid  array,  had  not  yet  left 
Canal  street,  and  when  we  arrived  at  the  parade-ground,  the  whole 
were  not  yet  in  motion.  The  whole  route  must  have  been  two 
miles  and  a  half.  The  ex- President,  Monroe,  drove  in  his 
carriage,  as  did  Mr.  Gallatin  and  the  orator  and  reader  of  the 
address.  An  interesting  group  occupied  a  barouche,  consisting  of 
Anthony  Glenn,  who  raised  the  flag  at  the  fort  on  the  retreat  of 
the  British,  25th  of  November,  1783;  John  Van  Arsdale,  the 
sailor  who  mounted  the  staff  to  remove  the  obstructions  :  and  the 


1830.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  25 

identical  flag  itself,  which  has  been  preserved  in  Scudder's  Museum. 
This  group  of  octogenarians  was  completed  by  David  Williams,  the 
survivor  of  the  three  captors  of  Major  Andr^,  and  Enoch  Crosby, 
the  Har\'ey  Birch  of  the  Revolution.  The  president,  faculty,  and 
students  of  Columbia  College  were  conspicuous  in  the  procession, 
and  the  citizens  of  France,  with  their  splendid  banner,  made  a 
proud  display.  Their  banner  was  formally  presented  on  the 
ground  to  the  first  division  of  artillery.  Among  the  trades  and 
societies  the  most  prominent  were  the  fire  department,  with  their 
beautiful  engines,  badges,  and  other  decorations,  to  the  number  of 
fifteen  hundred  persons ;  the  printers,  who  were  employed  at  two 
places  in  striking  off  and  distributing  among  the  multitude  copies 
of  the  ode,  etc. ;  the  butchers  on  horseback,  to  the  number  of  three 
hundred,  in  leg-of-mutton  sleeves ;  the  cartmen  on  horseback  in 
white  frocks ;  a  steamboat  with  her  steam  up  and  machinery  in 
motion ;  the  famous  Whitehall  boat,  carried  by  the  pilots  and  water- 
men ;  and  a  great  many  stages,  displaying  the  emblems  of  different 
trades,  and  on  which  mechanical  operations  were  carried  on  during 
the  march.  The  procession  was  closed  by  the  military,  who 
formed  on  the  grounds  north  of  the  square  and  fired  a  fcu-dc-joie 
after  the  civic  ceremonies  were  concluded. 

Sunday,  Nov.  28.  —  I  made  a  pleasant  visit  this  morning  to 
Colonel  Monroe,  ex- President  of  the  United  States,  who  is  residing 
with  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  S.  Gouverneur,  in  Prince  street.  Mr. 
Monroe  is  very  feeble  and  appears  in  worse  health  than  usual,  the 
effect  of  a  cold ;  but  his  mental  faculties  are  unimpaired,  and  his 
manner  and  conversation  are  exceedingly  interesting. 

Saturday,  Dec.  18.  —  Moore,  Giraud,  and  I  went  yesterday  to 
dine  at  Delmonico's,  a  French  rcstauratcin-,  in  "William  street,  which 
I  had  heard  was  upon  the  Parisian  plan,  and  very  good.  We  sat- 
isfied our  curiosity,  but  not  our  appetites ;  and  I  think  are  prepared, 
when  our  opinions  are  asked,  to  say  with  the  Irishman  who  used 
lamp-oil  with  his  salad  instead  of  olive-oil,  that  if  it  were  not  for 
the  name  of  the  thing  he  had  as  lief  eat  butter. 


26  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^taL  50. 

Friday,  Dec.  24.  —  Mr.  Ball  Hughes's  model  for  the  statue  of 
Hamilton,  on  which  he  has  been  employed  for  a  long  time  past, 
being  now  completed,  the  committee  who  were  named  to  decide 
upon  its  merits  assembled  at  the  atelier  of  the  artist,  at  twelve 
o'clock.  Of  that  committee  were  present :  Mr.  Wilkes,  Dr. 
Hosack,  Colonel  Trumbull,  and  myself;  and  of  the  Exchange 
committee,  Messrs.  Woolsey,  Tibbits,  Wyckoff,  and  George  Gris- 
wold,  with  Messrs.  D.  B.  Ogden  and  James  R.  Murray.  The 
fullest  testimony  of  approbation  was  unanimously  given,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  that  if  the  artist  finishes  the  statue  agreeably  to  the  prom- 
ise given  by  the  model,  it  will  be  the  best  piece  of  statuary  in  the 
United  States. 


1831.J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  2/ 


1831. 

OUNDAY,  J.\N.  2.  —  A  decidedly  pleasant  day,  the  first  I  be- 
*^  lieve  during  the  present  autumn  and  winter.  I  paid  a  few 
visits  which  were  left  over  from  yesterday.  The  old  custom  of 
visiting  on  New  Year's  Day,  and  the  happy  greetings  which  have  so 
long  been  given  on  that  occasion,  have  been  well  kept  up  this  year. 
I  am  glad  of  it ;  few  of  those  good  old  customs  remain  which  mark 
the  overflow  of  unsophisticated  good  feeling,  and  I  rejoice  when- 
ever I  can  recognize  any  part  of  the  wreck  which  the  innovations 
of  fashion  have  left  afloat. 

Wednesday,  Feb.  2.  —  The  following  gentlemen  were  on 
Monday  last  elected  officers  of  the  new  university  in  this  city  : 
Albert  Gallatin,  president  of  the  council ;  Morgan  Lewis,  vice- 
president  ;  John  Delafield,  secretary ;  Samuel  Ward,  treasurer ; 
James  M.  Mathews,  D.D.,  chancellor  of  the  university. 

On  the  8th  of  December  a  grand  dinner  was  given 
inner  o        ,      ^j^^  Americans  in  Paris  to  General    Lafayette,  the 

Lafayette.  -'  ■'  ' 

account  of  which  is  very  interesting  from  the  circum- 
stance of  so  many  Americans  of  my  acquaintance  having  been 
engaged  in  it.  James  Fenimore  Cooper,  of  New  York,  presided, 
assisted  by  Peter  Schermerhorn,  of  New  York,  and  Capt.  John 
Nicolson,  U.S.N.  Among  the  guests  were  Mr.  Serrurier, 
Minister  to  the  United  States ;  Odillon  Barrot,  Prefect  of  the 
Seine ;  Gen.  Matthias  Dumas,  adjutant-general  of  the  National 
Guards ;  ^L  Du  Perron,  grandson-in-law  of  Lafayette ;  Mons.  De 
Remusat,  deputy,  and  grandson-in-law  of  the  General ;  General 
Carbonel ;  Mons.  Joubert ;  Mr.  Rives,  American  Minister ;  Charles 
de  Lameth,  deputy  of  Paris,  who  fought  and  was  wounded  at 
Yorktown ;  George  W.  Lafayette ;  Jules  de  Lasteyrie,  etc. 

Tuesday,  Feb.    22.  —  I   went   this  evening   with   my  wife  and 


28  THE   DIARV   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [yEtat.  51. 

daughters  to  the  Assembly,  where  I  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Serru- 
rier,  the  new  French  Minister,  and  conversed  with  him  about  the 
late  occurrences  in  France.  He  speaks  in  the  highest  terms  of  the 
conduct  of  Lafayette  in  the  affair  of  the  ex-ministers  of  Charles  X. 
His  firmness  and  courage  contributed  greatly  to  preserve  the  peace 
of  Paris  in  that  interesting  crisis.  Mr.  Serrurier  regrets  his  resig- 
nation of  the  command  of  the  National  Guard,  and  considers  it 
somewhat  hasty.  But  the  General  has  desired  him  to  state  to  his 
American  friends  that  it  did  not  arise  from  any  motives  of  a  per- 
sonal nature. 

Saturday,  March  12.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with 
us :  Judge  Spencer,  Judge  Irving,  ]Mr.  John  Hone,  Dr.  Hosack, 
Mr.  Granger,  Governor  Coles,  Judge  Oakley,  General  Scott, 
Chancellor  Kent. 

And  thus  endeth  the  third  volume  of  my  diary.  It  has  become 
a  habit  with  me  to  write  in  it,  and  affords  me  pleasure.  It  is 
not  like  writing  letters,  which  may  be  done  or  let  alone,  and 
becomes,  therefore,  a  task,  and  as  such  is  more  or  less  irksome ; 
but  this  is  part  of  my  daily  occupation.  If  I  should  live  some 
dozen  or  twenty  years  I  shall  enjoy  the  retrospection,  or  my 
children,  if  they  revere  the  memory  of  their  father,  will,  in  turning 
over  the  pages  of  this  book,  have  something  to  remind  them  of 
him,  —  something  that  will  "prate  of  his  whereabouts,"  and  inform 
them  how  he  thought  and  what  he  did  "  about  these  times." 

March  15.  —  Went  this  morning  to  see  the  Siamese 
Tw^r^  boys,  who  returned  last  week  from  England.     I  did 

not  see  them  when  they  were  exhibited  formerly  in  this 
city.  This  astonishing  freak  of  nature  is  exceedingly  interesting, 
and  the  sight  of  it  is  not  disagreeable,  as  I  expected  to  find  it. 
They  are  now  nearly  twenty  years  old,  kind,  good-tempered,  and 
playful;  their  limbs  are  well  proportioned  and  strong,  but  their 
faces  are  devoid  of  intelligence,  and  have  that  stupid  expression 
which  is  characteristic  of  the  natives  of  the  East.  They  are  united 
by  a  strong  ligament  of  flesh  or  gristle,  without  bone,  about  three 


1S31.]  THE    DIARY    OF    nilLIP    HONE.  29 

inches  in  breadth  and  five  in  length.  Their  movements  are,  of 
course,  simultaneous.  They  walk,  sit  down,  play,  eat  and  drink, 
and  perform  all  the  functions  of  nature  in  unison ;  their  disposi- 
tions and  their  very  thoughts  are  alike ;  when  one  is  sick  the  other 
partakes  of  his  illness,  and  the  stroke  of  death  will,  no  doubt,  lay 
them  both  in  the  same  grave ;  and  yet  their  bodies,  heads,  and 
limbs  are  all  perfect  and  distinct.  They  speak  English  tolerably 
well,  and  appear  fond   of  talking. 

Bachelor's  Friday,  March  1 8,  —  This  splendid  affair,  so  long 

Grand  Fancy  the  thcmc  of  Conversation  and  the  subject  of  prepara- 
^'''"*  tion,  took  place  this  evening  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  I 

believe  no  expectations  had  been  formed  which  were  disappointed 
by  the  result.  The  rooms  were  handsomely  fitted  up  with  mirrors, 
curtains,  pier  tables,  and  lamps ;  the  supper  tables  were  splendidly 
and  most  abundantly  furnished.  The  number  of  guests  was  very 
great,  of  which  about  one-third  appeared  in  fancy  dress,  some  of 
which  were  well  conceived  and  supported  with  wit  and  address ; 
and  others  failing  in  those  respects  were  thought  by  some  to  make 
up  in  magnificence  and  lustre.  It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  go 
into  the  particulars  of  a  catalogue  raiso?ine,  and  if  it  were,  "  I  am 
not  i'  the  vein,"  and  I  think  my  time  will  be  better  spent  in  read- 
ing Moore's  "  Byron."  My  daughter  Mary  went  as  "  Sweet  Anne 
Page,"  and  looked  sweetly  in  the  costume  of  Leslie's  inimitable 
picture.  The  rest  of  us  went  sans  caracfcre,  —  my  wife  and  I, 
because  we  were  too  old  to  join  the  "  Masquers  and  Mummies ;  " 
John,  because  a  sprained  ankle  had  prevented  him  for  several  days 
past  from  making  his  preparations  ;  Robert,  because  he  couldn't ; 
and  Margaret,  because  she  wouldn't.  Our  party  was  graced  by  the 
addition  of  our  fi.\ir  visitor,  Helen  Kane,  who  was  said  to  look  well 
for  an  Albanian.  Mrs.  Hughes,  as  a  flower  girl,  was  very  naive 
and  lively,  and  distributed  to  each  of  her  friends  an  appropriate 
flower,  with  a  pretty  card  describing  its  attributes,  and  conveying 
her  good  wishes  to  those  whom  she  selected  as  the  recipients  of 
her  favours. 


30  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  51. 

Monday,  March  28. —  Left  home  on  a  fishing  excursion  to 
Long  Island  with  Giraiul.  The  weather  was  doubtful,  but  improved 
in  the  course  of  the  day.  Dined  at  Timothy  Carman's,  and  went 
to  Jackson's,  where  we  lodged.  Mr.  Morris  and  Mr.  Constant  were 
here,  having  overtaken  us  at  dinner-time. 

Friday,  April  i.  — A  gale  from  the  north-west.  We  went  on 
the  pond  after  breakfast,  and  caught  a  fine  mess  of  fish  to  take 
home.  A  deer  crossed  the  creek  near  the  boat  while  we  were  fish- 
ing. Mr.  Giraud  and  I  have  taken  sixty-five  trout.  After  dinner 
we  started  for  home  at  three  o'clock,  intending  to  go  no  further 
than  Jackson's ;  but  our  horses  were  fresh,  and  we  came  on  to  Tim- 
othy Carman's,  where  we  lodged.  Immense  quantities  of  wild-fowl 
have  been  killed  in  the  bay  this  week.  A  man  had  at  Babylon 
this  evening,  on  his  way  to  the  New  York  market,  six  hundred 
broad-bills. 

Saturday,  April  2.  —  Went  to  dine  at  Isaac's  with  a  party, 
among  whom  were  Messrs.  Sturgis  and  Cabot,  of  Boston.  I  added 
a  handsome  mess  of  fresh  trout  to  the  dinner. 

Wednesday,  April  6. —  Mr.  John  Mason  was  elected,  on  Monday 
last,  president  of  the  Chemical  Bank,  in  place  of  Mr.  B.  P.  Melick. 

Wednesday,  April  20.  —  While  I  was  shaving  this  morning  at 
eight  o'clock,  I  witnessed  from  the  front  window  an  encounter  in 
the  street  nearly  opposite,  between  William  C.  Bryant  and  William 
L.  Stone  ;  the  former  one  of  the  editors  of  the  "  Evening  Post,"  and 
the  latter  editor  of  the  "  Commercial  Advertiser."  The  former 
commenced  the  attack  by  striking  Stone  over  the  head  with  a  cow- 
skin  ;  after  a  few  blows  the  men  closed,  and  the  whip  was  wrested 
from  Bryant  and  carried  off  by  Stone.  When  I  saw  them  first,  two 
younger  persons  were  engaged,  but  soon  discontinued  their  fight. 
A  crowd  soon  closed  in  and  separated  the  combatants. 

Saturday,  April  30.  —  A  public  dinner  was  given  on  Thursday 
last  to  G.  C.  Verplanck,  Esq.,  member  of  Congress  from  this  city, 
by  the  literati,  artists,  and  booksellers,  avowedly  for  his  exertions 
to   procure  the  passage  of  the  copjTight  law.     Judge  Irving  was 


1831.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rilll.IP   HONE.  3 1 

president,  and  Professor  Renwick  and  Mr.  Dunlap,  vice-presidents. 
Mr.  Verplanck  made  a  long  speech,  which  is  much  praised  by  those 
who  were  present. 

MoxDAY,  May  2. — The  following  party  dined  with  us:  Sir 
William  Campbell,  late  Chief  Justice  of  Canada ;  James  Maury, 
late  Consul  to  Liverpool ;  Luther  Bradish  ;  James  G.  King  ;  Capt. 
James  Rogers ;  Isaac  S.  Hone  ;  Charles  McEvers  ;  Isaac  Carow  ; 
Rutsen  Maury  ;  G.  G.  Rowland  ;  James  Haggerty. 

Thursday,  May  5.  —  It  is  an  interesting  and  gratifying  subject  of 
reflection  that  our  country  at  large,  and  particularly  this  city,  is  at 
this  time  prosperous  beyond  all  former  example,  and  somewhat 
remarkable  that  different  interests,  usually  considered  opposed  to 
each  other,  are  equally  successful.  Foreign  commerce  is  in  a 
thriving  condition ;  vessels  are  worth  fifty  per  cent,  more  than  they 
were  two  years  since,  and  freights  are  nearly  double ;  real  estate, 
up  and  down  town,  equally  high ;  houses  in  great  demand,  at 
advanced  rents ;  the  dealers  in  imported  goods  doing  a  safe  and 
profitable  business ;  the  farmer  selling  his  wool  at  seventy-five  cents 
per  pound,  which  two  years  ago  was  worth  only  thirty-seven  and 
one-half  cents  per  pound,  and  availing  himself  of  the  increased 
price  of  bread-stuffs,  occasioned  by  the  brisk  foreign  demand  ;  the 
manufacturers,  both  of  woollen  and  cotton  goods,  fully  employed, 
and  doing  better  than  at  any  former  period ;  and  the  lawyers  doing 
nothing.  This  is  cause  of  great  exultation  to  our  citizens,  and 
should-  inspire  them  with  gratitude  to  the  Dispenser  of  all  good 
things.  We  are  more  apt  to  complain  when  things  go  wrong  than 
to  be  thankful  when  they  go  right. 

Monday,  May  9.  —  The  city  is  now  undergoing  its  usual  annual 
metamorphosis ;  many  stores  and  houses  are  being  pulled  down, 
and  others  altered,  to  make  every  inch  of  ground  productive  to  its 
utmost  extent.  Pearl  street  and  Broadway  in  particular  are  ren- 
dered almost  impassable  by  the  quantity  of  rubbish  with  which 
they  are  obstructed,  and  by  the  dust  which  is  blown  about  by  a 
keen  north-west  wind. 


32  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  51. 

Saturday,  May  21.  —  I  went  with  the  girls  to  Hoboken  this 
afternoon,  and  had  a  dehghtful  walk  on  the  high  banks  nearly  to 
Weehawken. 

I  received  this  day  a  letter  from  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  dated  at 
Rome,  February  15.  He  informs  me  that  he  has  shipped  for  me 
at  Leghorn  a  fine  portrait  by  himself  of  Thorvaldsen,  the  cele- 
brated sculptor,  and  a  cast  executed  by  that  artist  of  the  "  Triumph 
of  Alexander  the  Great,"  from  the  original  bas-relief  made  for  the 
Marquis  Sommariva, 

Tuesday,  May  24.  —  Died  on  the  1 7th  inst.,  at  Rochester,  Col. 
Nathaniel  Rochester,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  an 
officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  removed  from  his  native 
State  to  Steuben  County  in  this  State  in  1802,  soon  after  which 
he  removed  to  the  village  of  Rochester,  a  great  part  of  which  he 
o\vned.  It  is  now  a  town  of  considerable  magnitude,  the  wonder 
of  the  western  empire  of  New  York. 

Thursday,'  July  5 .  —  In  the  midst  of  the  festivities  of  the  cele- 
bration of  independence  yesterday,  the  death  of  James  Monroe 
was  announced.  He  died  at  the  house  of  his  son-in-law,  Mr. 
Samuel  L.  Gouverneur,  in  this  city.  This  venerable  patriot  has 
been  ill  and  his  life  despaired  of  for  some  months  past,  and  he 
seems  to  have  lingered  until  this  time  to  add  to  the  number  of  the 
Revolutionary  patriots  whose  deaths  have  occurred  on  this  memo- 
rable anniversary.  Of  four  ex-Presidents  who  have  died,  three  have 
departed  on  the  4th  of  July,  and  of  this  number  two,  who  were 
signers  of  the  august  instrument  which  declared  the  political  birth 
of  our  country,  died  on  the  fiftieth  anniversary,  4th  of  July,  1826. 
Mr.  Monroe  has  now  made  the  third,  and  has  closed  his  mortal 
career,  respected  and  honoured  by  his  countrymen.  Measures  will 
be  adopted  by  the  civil  and  military  authorities  to  render  his 
funeral  obsequies  worthy  of  his  character  and  the  important  ser- 
vices he  has  performed  and  the  exalted  stations  he  has  filled. 

Monday,  July  i  i  .  —  The  hard  rains  have  been  followed  by 
bright,  cool  weather  and  clear  skies.     I   attended  by  invitation  a 


1831.]  THE    DIARY   OF    rillLIP    IIOXE.  33 

fete  chanipctre  given  by  the  Messrs.  Stevens  at  the  Elysian  Fields 
above  Hoboken.  This  beautiful  spot  has  been  cleaned,  the  grounds 
laid  out  with  great  taste,  and  a  handsome  pavilion  erected,  as  a 
place  of  public  resort  connected  with  the  ferry.  At  three  o'clock, 
the  company,  consisting  of  about  two  hundred  gentlemen,  as- 
sembled on  board  the  steamboat  "  Chief  Justice  Marshall."  Among 
them  were  the  mayor  and  corporation,  and  many  other  public 
characters,  and  a  number  of  the  Stevens's  personal  friends. 

"When  we  arrived  on  the  ground,  we  were  conducted  to  a  spot  in 
the  woods  enclosed  by  flags,  and  decorated  in  a  tasteful  manner, 
where  tables  were  spread,  and  a  dinner  of  turtle  soup  and  every 
refreshment  furnished  to  the  guests  which  the  taste  and  liberality 
of  our  entertainers  had  taught  us  to  expect.  Some  time  after  our 
arrival,  the  party  was  increased  by  the  New  York  and  Jersey  City 
Boat  Clubs,  who  came  in  their  several  boats,  dressed  in  white 
jackets  and  trousers,  round  chip  hats,  and  checked  shirts,  the  be- 
coming costume  of  the  clubs.  John  Stevens  presided  at  the  feast, 
with  spirits  as  abundant  and  sparkling  as  his  champagne ;  and  the 
beautiful  grove,  under  the  branches  of  which  we  were  seated, 
echoed  the  sounds  of  merriment  and  good-humour,  inspired  by  the 
toasts,  the  songs,  and  the  laughter,  to  which  each  guest  seemed  dis- 
posed to  contribute  his  share. 

Monday,  Aug.  i  .  —  Col.  Richard  Varick  died  on 
c\  v"  ■  k  Saturday  night  at  his  residence,  Jersey  City,  in 
the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age,  of  cholera  morbus. 
He  complained  of  lameness  in  his  feet  when  I  last  saw  him,  which 
was  about  a  fortnight  since,  but  his  general  health  was  good.  He 
attended,  as  president  of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati,  the  corporation 
dinner  on  the  4th  ult.,  and  was  a  pall-bearer  at  the  funeral  of 
President  Monroe  on  the  7th  ult.  Measures  are  taking  to  pay 
great  respect  to  his  memory.  General  orders  are  issued  for  the 
Division  of  Artillery.  The  Society  of  Cincinnati  have  announced 
his  death,  and  the  order  of  the  funeral  ceremonies  under  direction 
of  Gen.  ]\Iorgan  Lewis,  vice-president.      Both  houses  of  the  Com- 


34  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.51. 

mon  Council  and  the  Court  of  Sessions,  which  were  sitting,  ad- 
journed this  morning  on  the  announcement  of  his  death.  The 
pall-bearers  at  Colonel  Varick's  funeral  are  :  Lynde  Catlin,  Peter 
A.  Jay,  Col.  Aaron  Ogden,  Col.  John  Trumbull,  John  Pintard, 
William  W.  Woolsey,  Chancellor  Kent,  Col.  Nicholas  Fish. 

Friday,   Aug.   5.  —  I  left   Albany  this    morning  at 
Saratoga  eight  o'clock,  in  company  with  Messrs.  Charles  Graham, 

Springs.  o  J  r       J  j 

Lispenard  Stewart,  Fehrman,  and  my  son  John,  and 
after  an  exceedingly  pleasant  ride  came  to  Congress  Hall  and 
got  very  good  colonial  quarters,  near  the  bath-house.  We  were 
delighted  this  morning  with  the  view  of  the  Cohoes  Falls ;  the  rains 
this  season  have  been  frequent,  and  the  river  rushes  in  an  entire 
sheet,  covering  the  whole  face  of  the  rock.  I  have  never  before  seen 
the  water  so  high,  nor  consequently  the  cataract  so  fine.  The 
wreck  of  a  canal-boat  is  on  the  edge  of  the  great  dam,  where  she 
was  wrecked  yesterday.  Her  towing  line  was  broken  by  the  force 
of  the  current  while  passing  below  the  bridge,  and  she  was  carried 
down  to  the  place  where  she  now  lies.  The  only  man  on  board 
and  her  cargo  of  firewood  were  saved. 

Congress  Hall  is  filled  with  company,  amongst  whom  are  many 
distinguished  men  and  fine  women,  and  nearly  about  the  usual 
proportion  of  people  who  are  neither  distinguished  nor  fine,  but 
rich,  and  that,  in  their  opinion,  entitles  them  to  more  consideration 
than  either.  Amongst  the  first  description  of  persons  are  Mr. 
Buchanan,  .of  Pennsylvania,  who  they  say  is  to  supply  the  place  of 
Mr.  Randolph,  our  extraordinary  Minister  to  Russia ;  Meredith ; 
Gilmor ;  Gibbes ;  Hoffman ;  and  Martin,  of  Maryland  ;  Jonathan 
Mason  and  George  Blake,  of  Massachusetts ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  How- 
land  ;  the  Cuttings  ;  Carys ;  my  brother  and  sister ;  Mrs.  Abbott ; 
Oliver  Kane  and  his  daughters ;  William  Sullivan,  of  Boston,  and 
his  pretty  daughter ;  Miss  Fulton ;  Mrs.  Davis ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dickenson  ;  the  Tayloes,  etc. 

Tuesday,  Aug.  9. — A  party  of  us  went  out  to  dine  yesterday 
at  Barhuyt's,  consisting  of  General  Van  Rensselaer,  Mr.  Meredith, 


1S31.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nillJP   HONE.  35 

Charles  E.  Davis,  Morgan  Gibbes,  G.  G.  Howlan.l,  Mr.  J.  Hare 
Powel,  R.  Gilmor,  J.  I).  Dickenson,  T.  L.  Gibbes,  D.  Lynch, 
Crafts,  and  myself.  The  old  man  gave  us  several  dishes  of  his 
little  trout  fried,  two  chickens,  and  that  was  all ;  but  he  charged  us 
well.  The  party,  however,  was  gay  and  the  conversation  brilliant, 
and  Lynch  sang  for  us.  The  fashionables  are  leaving  Saratoga 
in  great  numbers,  and  no  new-comers  supply  their  places.  Some 
go  to  New  York,  some  to  Lake  George,  and  others  to  Lebanon. 

HoxESDALE,  Sunday,  Aug.  21.  —  I  went  to  church  this  morning, 
and  after  an  early  dinner  left  Carbondale  in  a  wagon  with  Captain 
Goodale  and  Mr.  Archbald  and  came  to  this  place  by  the  way  of 
Canaan.  I  never  witnessed  a  more  reverential  observance  of  the 
Sabbath  than  in  both  these  villages ;  notwithstanding  the  vast 
number  of  workmen,  amongst  whom  are  a  large  proportion  of 
Irish  and  Welsh  people,  who  are  employed  as  miners  and  other- 
wise, all  occupation  has  ceased ;  the  coal  valley  which  resounded 
yesterday  with  the  noise  of  machinery,  the  rattling  of  cars,  the 
explosion  of  gunpowder,  and  the  clinking  of  pickaxes  is  now  as 
still  as  the  tomb  of  the  Capulets ;  and  the  miners  who  were  yester- 
day begrimed  with  coal  and  looked  like  citizens  of  the  nether  world 
are  seen  this  morning  on  their  way  to  church,  clean  and  well 
dressed,  with  long  coats  and  gilt  buttons,  high  shirt-collars,  and 
brooches  in  their  bosoms.  So  much  for  a  good  example ;  the 
company  suspends  its  operations  of  every  sort  on  Sunday. 

New  York,  Thursday,  Sept.  8.  —  A  meeting  was  held  at  five 
o'clock  this  afternoon  at  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  of  which  Pre- 
served Fish  was  chairman  and  Jonathan  Goodhue  secretary,  at 
which  delegates  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Free  Trade  Con- 
vention at  Philadelphia,  on  the  30th  inst.,  and  resolutions 
passed  disapproving  the  tariff  laws,  and  expressing  a  determina- 
tion to  take  measures  to  procure  a  modification  of  them  by  the 
next  Congress ;  the  following  are  the  names  of  the  delegates  : 
Albert  Gallatin,  James  Kent,  Stephen  Allen,  Morgan  Lewis, 
Peter  A.  Jay,  Jacob  Lorillard,  David  B.   Ogden,  James  Boorman, 


^6  THE   DIARY   OF   I'lIILir   HONE.  [/Etat.  51. 

Henry  J,  Wyckoff,  Zebedee  Ring,  Benjamin  L.  Swan,  James  G. 
King,  John  A.  Stevens,  James  Heard,  Frederick  Sheldon,  Charles 
H.  Russell,  Stephen  Smith,  Silas  M.  Stilwell,  Moses  H.  Grinnell, 
Preserved  Fish,  Isaac  Bronson,  John  Haggerty,  Thomas  R.  Mer- 
cein,  Isaac  Carow,  John  L.  Crary,  J.  T.  Trimble,  George  Gris- 
wold,  J.  McVicar,  H.  Kneeland,  Jonathan  Goodhue. 

Wednesday,  Sept.  14.  —  A  fatal  duel  was  fought  at  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  on  August  26,  between  Major  Biddle,  paymaster  of  the 
United  States  Army,  and  Spencer  Pettis,  Esq. ;  the  former  was 
brother  to  Nicholas  Biddle,  of  Philadelphia,  president  of  the  Bank 
of  the  United  States,  and  to  Commodore  Biddle  of  the  navy,  and 
the  latter  was  recently  elected  a  member  of  Congress.  They- 
fought  at  five  feet  distance,  and  were  both  mortally  wounded  on 
the  first  discharge.  Mr.  Pettis  died  on  the  same  day  and  Major 
Biddle  on  the  following.  The  quarrel  originated  in  political  dif- 
ferences and  in  the  publication  of  an  article  written  by  Biddle  to 
operate  against  Pettis's  election. 
_,        .     ^  Friday,  Sept.  2^.  —  Having  received  an   invitation 

Excursion  to  J  o  & 

Albany  and  to  visit  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  Railroad,  I  proposed 
w  est  Point.     ^^  ^j^g  gj^jg  ^^  ^^|,g  them  with  me,  and  leave  them  at 

West  Point  until  my  return  from  Albany.  I  started  this  afternoon, 
at  five  o'clock,  in  the  steamboat  "  DeWitt  Clinton."  The  weather 
had  been  bad  all  day,  and  was  still  very  doubtful  when  we  left 
home,  but  soon  became  pleasant.  The  rest  of  the  party  landed  at 
West  Point,  and  I  continued  on  my  way  to  Albany.  I  went  to  the 
American  Hotel,  and  after  breakfast  joined  a  large  party  at  the 
Eagle  Tavern.  We  proceeded  in  carriages  under  the  orders  of  Mr. 
Cambreling,  the  superintendent,  to  the  starting-place  on  the  rail- 
road, about  two  miles  from  the  city.  The  road  from  this  point  is 
finished,  a  distance  of  twelve  and  a  half  miles,  nearly  level.  The 
inclined  planes  at  each  end  of  the  road  are  finished.  The  whole 
length  of  the  railroad  when  completed  will  be  fifteen  miles  and 
a  half. 

Sunday,  Sept.  25.  —  My  intention  of  going  to  church  this  mom- 


1S31.J  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  37 

ing  was  frustrated  by  a  pressing  invitation  from  Cambreling  to  take 
another  ride  on  the  railroad  with  Bucknor  and  Edward  Prime,  who 
came  up  last  evening.  We  started  at  ten  o'clock,  under  the  orders 
of  Cambreling  and  Mr.  DeGruff,  who  has  been  master  of  the  cere- 
monies on  this  occasion,  and  we  returned  with  the  American  loco- 
motive twelve  and  a  half  miles  in  thirty-seven  minutes,  which  is  at 
the  rate  of  twenty  miles  an  hour,  —  quite  fast  enough  in  all  con- 
science, and  exceedingly  pleasant. 

Monday,    Oct.  3.  — The    anti-tariff,    or    free-trade, 
convention  assembled  in  Philadeli)hia  on  Thursday  last, 

Convention.  '  ■'  ' 

but  the  accounts  this  morning  state  that  they  had  not 
organized  by  the  appointment  of  officers.  What  can  they  want  ? 
At  least,  what  can  the  delegates  from  New  York  have  to  complain 
of,  in  thus  lending  their  aid  to  the  excited  politicians  of  the 
South  to  destroy  a  state  of  prosperity  unexampled  in  the  history  of 
our  country?  If  the  system  of  protecting  duties  should  be  aban- 
doned, our  great  manufacturing  interests  will  be  prostrated  ;  the 
wholesome  competition  with  foreign  countries  which  now  keeps 
down  the  prices  of  imported  goods  will  exist  no  longer.  Foreign- 
ers will  receive  the  benefit  of  the  reduction  of  duties,  and  con- 
sumers will  be  compelled  to  pay  double  for  everything  of  foreign 
manufacture.  The  opinion  of  New  York  is  not  expressed  in  this 
convention ;  our  meeting  was  gotten  up  by  two  or  three  persons, 
not  to  obtain  the  sentiments  of  our  citizens  on  the  propriety  of 
uniting  with  the  nullifiers  of  the  South,  for  in  that  they  would  have 
failed,  but  the  friends  of  the  measure  only  were  called,  and  dele- 
gates were  appointed,  in  the  number  of  whom  are  many  of  our 
most  respected  citizens ;  but  the  names  of  several  were  used  with- 
out their  consent,  and  although  some  of  them  declined  as  soon  as 
they  saw  their  names  published,  on  the  ground  of  their  opposition 
to  the  proceedings,  the  managers  had  not  the  candour  and  fiiirness 
to  publish  their  declinations,  but  were  willing  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  influence  which  the  use  of  such  names  would  exercise  upon 
public  opinion  in  other  States,  where  their  disapprobation  could  not 


38  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.51. 

be  known.  Chancellor  Kent  is  one  of  the  number  of  those  whose 
names,  so  well  known  and  so  much  respected,  are  permitted  to 
stand  on  the  list  of  delegates.  He  was  at  my  house  last  evening, 
and  told  me  that  he  sent  in  his  resignation  immediately,  because  he 
disapproved  of  the  proceeding,  and  was  not  opposed  to  the  tariff. 
But  this  artifice  has  accomplished  its  object,  and  James  Kent  is 
quoted  as  one  of  the  good  and  great  men  of  New  York  who  sanc- 
tion a  measure  opposed  to  the  true  interest  of  our  State  and  city. 
Verily,  we  are  an  unthankful  people,  and  one  that  waxes  fat  and 
kicks. 

Monday,  Oct.  10.  —  The  convention  which  has  been  sitting  in 
Philadelphia  adjourned  on  Friday  evening,  sine  die.  An  address 
was  reported  by  Judge  Berrien,  late  Attorney-General  of  the  United 
States,  in  which  the  tariff  laws  were  declared  to  be  unconstitutional. 
This  occasioned  some  difficulty.  Mr.  Gallatin,  from  this  city, 
moved  to  strike  out  that  part,  which  motion  was  negatived.  Of  our 
delegates,  sixteen  had  the  grace  to  vote  for  striking  out,  and  four,  — 
Fish,  Leonard,  Bergh,  and  Kneeland,  —  against  it;  and  the  address 
was  carried,  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  to  twenty-nine.  Thus  the 
Southern  nullifiers  have  accomplished  their  object,  in  getting  New 
York  to  go  with  them ;  for  although  the  delegates  from  this  city  do 
not  represent  this  community,  and  were  appointed  nobody  knows 
how,  yet  they  will  be  claimed  by  the  Southern  people,  who  had  ral- 
lied all  their  forces  and  out-voted  our  men,  and  were,  in  fact,  rep- 
resentatives of  their  respective  States.  This  is  the  way  we  are 
always  managed.  Such  men  as  Gallatin,  Griswold,  Carow,  and 
King  should  never  have  meddled  in  this  concern,  or  should  have 
protested  and  seceded  from  the  convention  when  a  proposition  so 
monstrous  as  the  denying  to  Congress  the  constitutional  right  to 
pass  these  laws  was  about  to  be  adopted.  Those  gentlemen  thought, 
no  doubt  honestly,  that  it  was  inexpedient  and  oppressive  to  pass 
laws  which  they  considered  unequal  in  their  operation ;  but  they 
are  too  enlightened  to  believe  for  a  moment  that  those  laws  are  un- 
constitutional.    It  is  but  a  short  time  since  they  took  the  lead  in 


1S31.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  39 

paying  a  merited  compliment  to  Mr.  Webster  for  his  manly  and 
eloquent  defence  of  the  Constitution  against  the  nullifying  doctrines 
of  the  South,  and  now  we  see  them  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  led 
forth  to  grace  the  triumph  of  his  adroit  competitors. 

Thursday,  Oct.  13.  —  Mr.  Anderson,  who  came  out 
owattic  \^^^.\y  from  England,  was  announced  this  evening  at 
the  Park  Theatre,  for  his  first  appearance  in  America,  in 
the  character  of  Henry  Bertram  in  the  opera  of  "  Guy  Mannering." 
The  house  was  filled  by  persons  who  had  prepared  to  assist  in  or 
witness  the  riot  which  was  expected.  He  is  said  to  have  behaved 
ill  on  the  passage  and  abused  the  Yankees,  and  a  quarrel  with  the 
mate  was  settled  after  his  arrival  by  the  latter  giving  him  a  flogging, 
the  effects  of  which  has  prevented  him  from  appearing  until  now. 

Saturday,  Oct.  15, — Mr.  Anderson  was  announced  again  for 
this  evening  in  the  part  of  Henry  Bertram.  The  house  was  filled 
very  early  to  suffocation.  When  I  went  in  the  whole  interior  was 
a  solid  mass  of  men.  Not  a  single  female  present,  except  two  or 
three  in  the  upper  tier.  The  first  part  of  the  opera  was  listened  to, 
and  when  Mrs.  Sharpe  appeared  she  was  received  with  the  most 
marked  approbation,  intended,  no  doubt,  as  the  amende  honorable 
for  the  share  which  she  was  compelled  to  receive  of  the  ill-treat- 
ment intended  for  Mr.  x\nderson  on  Thursday.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  second  act,  previously  to  the  time  when  he  should 
have  appeared,  Simpson  came  forward  and  attempted  to  read  his 
apology.  This  was  the  signal  for  the  commencement  of  the  riot, 
and  from  that  time  the  disturbance  continued  during  the  whole 
night.  Apples,  eggs,  and  other  missiles  were  showered  upon  the 
stage,  and  although  Barry  announced  that  the  unhappy  wight  was 
withdrawn  who  had  committed  the  unatonable  offence  which 
called  down  the  vengeance  of  the  sovereigns,  and  that  the 
play  would  be  changed,  they  would  not  be  pacified.  They  went  to 
the  theatre  for  a  row,  and  they  would  not  be  disappointed.  The 
only  interval  of  order  was  during  the  time  that  little  Burke  was 
brought  forward  and  played  on  his  violin  in  the  overture  to  "  Guy 


40  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  C/Etat.51. 

Mannering,"  at  the  unanimous  call  of  the  house.  The  street  in  front 
of  the  theatre  was  filled  by  the  mob,  the  lamps  were  broken,  and 
the  interior  of  the  theatre  sustained  considerable  injury,  notwith- 
standing a  strong  force  of  watchmen  and  constables  in  attend- 
ance. 

Monday,  Oct.  17.  —  The  disgraceful  riots  of  Thursday  and  Sat- 
urday nights  were  continued  on  a  more  extensive  scale  last  night. 
During  the  whole  of  yesterday  the  sanctity  of  the  day  was  violated 
by  the  collection  of  groups  of  idlers  in  front  of  the  theatre,  and 
soon  after  dark  the  numbers  had  increased  in  a  manner  which 
caused  serious  alarm  to  the  neighbourhood.  Cries,  shouts,  and 
huzzas  marked  the  commencement  of  the  attack,  and  about  nine 
o'clock  I  was  disturbed  by  the  noise  of  the  crash  of  broken  win- 
dows and  the  battering  of  the  front  doors.  This  continued  half 
an  hour  without  the  interfei'ence  of  the  municipal  authorities.  I 
then  went  out  to  find  the  Mayor.  He  was  not  at  home,  and  could 
not  be  found.  I  then  went  around  to  the  scene  of  action,  when  I 
found  that  the  whole  of  this  outrage  was  committed  by  about 
twenty  boys,  who  were  instigated  and  encouraged  by  the  mob,  and 
every  crash  of  broken  glass  was  followed  by  their  shouts.  At  this 
time  Hays  came  up  with  a  pretty  strong  body  of  watchmen,  and 
order  was  for  a  time  restored.  Several  men  and  boys  were  carried 
to  the  watch-house,  of  whom  nearly  the  whole  were  discharged  in 
a  short  time,  and  several  at  my  solicitation.  The  mob  in  front  of 
the  theatre  continued,  but  no  more  injury  was  done  to  the  build- 
ing. Indeed,  there  was  not  much  left  to  be  done,  unless  the  mob 
could  have  forced  an  entrance,  when  the  scene  would  have  been 
dreadful.  The  American  and  tricoloured  flags  were  exhibited  from 
the  upper  windows  to  appease  the  populace,  which  sensed  to  allay 
the  tumult ;  but  the  noise  continued  all  night,  and  I  doubt  if  any 
person  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  park  had  what  is  called  a  good 
nighfs  rest. 

To-day  the  front  of  the  theatre  is  covered  with  transparencies  of 
patriotic  subjects,  —  flags  and  eagles  in  abundance,  —  which  appears 


1831.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   IIOXE.  4I 

to  have  propitiated  the  mob.  I  went  into  the  house.  Burke  is 
playing,  and  things  go  on  tolerably  quietly.  The  crowd  in  front  is 
tremendously  great,  but  orderly,  and  there  is  a  large  body  of 
watchmen,  with  the  Mayor  in  person,  so  that  there  is  reason  to 
hope  that  this  foolish  affair  has  come  to  an  end. 

Thursday,  Oct.  27.  — The  corner-stone  of  a  hospital  for  sailors, 
on  the  foundation  of  charity  created  by  Robert  Richard  Randall, 
was  laid  yesterday  at  Staten  Island,  by  Chancellor  Walworth.  The 
property  left  by  Captain  Randall  has  increased  greatly  in  value 
within  the  last  year,  and  must  be  ample  now  for  the  objects  of  his 
munificent  bequest. 

Friday,  Oct.  28.  —  I  attended  the  tariff  convention  this  morning, 
and  am  much  interested  in  their  proceedings.  The  salt  of  the  land 
is  there,  and  a  little  pepper,  too ;  but  in  my  opinion  the  cause  must 
be  triumphant.  It  is  the  only  true  national  triumph,  and  the  only 
effectual  bond  of  union.  I  dined  with  Nathaniel  Richards  ;  Robert 
G.  Shaw  and  his  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abbot  Lawrence,  and  several 
of  the  Eastern  members  of  the  convention  formed  the  party. 

Monday,  Oct.  31.  —  I  was  highly  gratified  by  a  cir- 
resi  en  cumstance    which    occurred    in    the    convention   this 

Adams. 

morning,  which  proves  that  good  feeling  and  courtesy 
have  not  yet  been  voted  out  of  fashion  by  the  x\merican  people. 
On  the  appearance  of  the  ex-President,  John  Quincy  Adams,  in  the 
lobby.  General  Talmadge,  one  of  the  vice-presidents,  left  his  seat 
and  handed  him  through  the  body  of  the  house  to  a  seat  on  the 
platform ;  as  soon  as  he  was  recognized,  the  whole  assembly,  in- 
cluding the  spectators  in  the  galleries  and  lobby,  rose  from  their 
seats,  and  received  him  with  plaudits,  which  were  continued  until 
he  became  seated. 

Friday,  Nov.  4. — The  following  party  dined  with  us:  Hon. 
John  Quincy  Adams,  Mr.  C.  H.  Hammond,  Charles  King,  Charles 
A.  Davis,  Peter  II.  Schenck,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  Chancellor  Kent, 
General  Talmadge,  John  Honej 
Helen   Davis,  Miss  A.  Church. 


42  THE   DIARY   OF   riilLIP   HONE.  [.'Etat.  51. 

Wednesday,  Nov,  9.  —  Died  on  Saturday  evening  at  his  seat, 
Westchester,  Gen.  Philip  Van  Courtlandt,  aged  eighty-two  years. 

Frtoav,  Nov.  ii.  —  The  packet  "  New  York  "  arrived  yesterday. 
Among  her  passengers  are  Mr.  Jonathan  Ogden  and  his  three 
daughters,  and  young  John  Haggerty,  of  this  city,  and  my  friend, 
Mr.  J.  R.  Poinsett. 

I  do  not  know  when  I  have  been  so  delighted  as  I  was  last 
evening  in  seeing  young  Kean  play  Hamlet.  It  is  a  chaste, 
classical  performance. 

Monday,  Dec.  26.  —  The  East  river  was  closed  by  ice  this 
morning,  and  two  or  three  hundred  persons  walked  across  from 
Fulton  street  to  Brooklyn.  On  the  turn  of  the  tide '  the  ice  went 
out,  and  the  steamboats  were  again  plying. 

Henry  D.  Sedgwick,  late  of  this  city,  died  at  Stockbridge,  Mass., 
on  the  23d  inst.,  in  the  forty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a 
man  of  talents,  of  celebrity  as  a  lawyer,  but  eccentric. 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  43 


1832. 


THE  New  Year  commences  propitiously;  the  fine  weather, 
clear  sunshine,  and  lively  appearance  of  the  streets,  covered 
with  snow  are  emblematical  of  the  happy  state  of  our  country  and 
the  prosperity  of  the  city,  and  I  ought  also  to  add,  of  my  own  situa- 
tion, which  calls  upon  me  for  a  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the 
kindness  and  bounty  of  Divine  Providence.  Blessed  with  good 
health,  my  wife  and  children  virtuous  and  in  the  enjoyment  of 
health  and  happiness,  easy  in  my  circumstances  (although  not  quite 
so  rich  as  I  have  been),  and  enjoying,  as  I  trust  I  do,  the  affections 
of  my  friends  and  the  good  opinions  of  my  fellow-citizens,  I  have 
only  to  pray  that  I  may  not  by  an  act  of  my  own  forfeit  any  of  the 
blessings  I  enjoy,  and  that  succeeding  anniversaries  of  this  day 
may,  like  this,  be  to  me  "a  happy  New  "Year." 

Friday,  Jan.  9. — -The  following  persons  have  been  elected 
directors  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States :  Nicholas  Biddle, 
John  Bohlen,  Richard  Willing,  Henry  Pratt,  Matthew  L.  Bevan, 
John  R.  Neff,  Horace  Binney,  Edward  Coleman,  Manuel  E}Te, 
WilUam  Piatt,  Ambrose  White,  J.  S.  Henry,  Thomas  Cadwallader, 
of  Philadelphia ;  John  Potter,  of  South  Carolina ;  Robert  Gilmor, 
of  Maryland  ;  Isaac  Carow,  John  Rathbone,  Jr.,  of  New  York ; 
Thomas  N.  Perkins,  B.  W.  Crowninshield,  of  Massachusetts.  The 
following  government  directors  were  appointed  by  the  President 
of  the  United  States  :  Nicholas  Biddle,  Joshua  Lippincott,  and  J. 
T.  Sullivan,  of  Pennsylvania ;  James  Campbell,  of  New  York  ;  and 
Hugh  McEldery,  of  Maryland.  Nicholas  Biddle  was  unanimously 
reelected  president. 

Wednesday,  Jan.  ii.  —  Halsted  E.  Haight's  property  sold  this 
day.  The  three-story  house  and  lot,  22  Vesey  street,  formerly 
occupied  by  the  late  Bishop   Hobart,  twenty- five  feet  front  and 


44  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  [^tat.52. 

rear  by  about  a  hundred  and  two  feet  in  depth,  bought  by  Mr. 
Ward  for  $18,500,  The  lot  of  ground  next  to  my  residence,  cor- 
ner of  Broadway  and  Park  place,  with  three  tenements,  one  on 
Broadway  and  two  on  Park  place,  the  lot  twenty-five  feet  on 
Broadway,  twenty-four  feet  eight  inches  in  the  rear,  in  length 
on  Park  place  a  hundred  and  twenty-one  feet  ten  inches,  and 
along  my  line  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  six  inches,  bought  by  L. 
Bronson  for  $37,000.  I  bid  for  this  lot  $36,750,  and  regret  since 
the  sale  that  I  had  not  gone  further.  It  is  worth  more  to  me  than 
to  any  other  person. 

The  house,  No.  18  Park  place,  occupied  by  Charles  McEvers, 
was  sold  at  auction  on  Saturday  to  James  J.  Roosevelt,  Jr.,  for 
$14,200  ;  lot  twenty-five  feet  by  seventy-five. 

Thursday,  Jan.  19. — The  following  party  dined  with  us:  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hamilton  Wilkes,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pendleton  Hosack, 
George  Parish,  Washington  Coster,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Hosack,  D.  Lynch, 
P.  Church,  Mrs.  Maria  Hone,  Captain  Nicholson. 

A  volume    of  beautiful  poetry  by  William   CuUen 
Poems  ^  Bryant  has  just  been  published  by  Bhss.     It  contains 

several  pieces  which  have  been  published  in  the  peri- 
odicals before,  with  some  new  things.  Bryant  may  be  considered 
the  best  of  American  poets,  with  the  exception  of  Halleck.  A 
vein  of  sadness  pervades  all  his  writings,  which  is  occasionally 
lighted  up  by  soft  and  beautiful  images.  It  is  sad  and  melancholy, 
but  never  harsh  or  gloomy. 

Tuesday,  Jan.  24.  —  This  distinguished  senator  made 
HaTe  ^  ^°^S  speech  in  the  Senate  on  Monday,  in  reply  to  Mr. 

Clay's  great  speech  in  support  of  the  following  resolu- 
tion offered  by  him :  "  That  the  existing  duties  upon  articles  im- 
ported from  foreign  countries,  and  not  coming  into  competition  with 
similar  articles  made  or  produced  within  the  United  States,  ought 
to  be  forthwith  abolished,  except  the  duties  on  wines  and  silks,  and 
that  they  ought  to  be  reduced."  The  publication  of  Colonel 
Hayne's  speech  is  commenced  in  to-day's  papers.     He  comes  out 


1S32.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  45 

as  usual  with  great  force  and  eloquence  against  the  whole  pro- 
tective system  of  duties,  depicts  in  glowing  colours  the  sufferings  of 
the  South,  the  inequality  and  injustice  of  the  system  in  its  opera- 
tion upon  them,  and  deplores  the  fancied  evils  which  will  result 
from  it.  He  is  certainly  a  great  man,  but  has  in  my  judgment 
the  wrong  side  of  the  argument,  and  will  have  giants  to  contend 
against  in  the  Senate. 

Wednesday,  Jan.  25.  — I  attended  a  meeting  this  afternoon  at 
Mr.  Bucknor's  ofifice,  to  confer  with  Mr.  Pugh,  one  of  the  canal 
commissioners  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  who  has  been  appointed  to 
visit  New  York  in  relation  to  raising  funds  to  construct  a  railroad 
from  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Illinois  river,  a  distance  of 
ninety  miles,  to  Chicago,  near  the  southern  outlet  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan. This  project  would  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  State  of 
New  York,  as  it  would  divert  the  trade  of  the  new  Western  States 
bordering  on  the  lakes  from  New  Orleans  to  our  seaport.  The  gen- 
tlemen present,  brokers  and  practical  money-dealers,  did  not  seem 
disposed  to  trust  their  funds  in  an  enterprise  so  far  from  home, 
and  it  is  not  likely  that  Mr.  Pugh  will  succeed  in  his  application. 

I  have  been  led  by  the  discussions  arising  out  of  this  conference 
to  reflect  upon  the  great  prospects  which  the  settlement  of  the 
new  States  holds  out  for  this  country.  The  tide  of  emigration 
sets  in  that  direction  with  a  force  which  has  been  hitherto  un- 
known. The  country  is  rich  and  productive ;  the  settlers  are  a 
hardy,  ingenious,  and  enterprising  race  of  men,  dependent  upon 
their  own  physical  resources,  and  uncontaminated  by  the  curse 
of  slavery,  the  deleterious  effects  of  which  are  felt  so  severely  in 
the  Southern  States.  The  chain  of  States,  consisting  of  New 
York,  and,  stretching  westward,  embracing  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  In- 
diana, Illinois,  Missouri,  and  the  Washington  Territory,  seem  natu- 
rally united  by  their  geographical  position  and  similarity  of 
climate,  productions  and  political  policies,  and  the  time  may 
come  when  they  will  form  a  great  empire  and  control  the  desti- 
nies of  the  Western  world. 


46  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  52. 

Friday,  Jan.  27.  — The  lot,  corner  of  Wall  and  Broad  streets, 
sixteen  feet  eight  inches  on  Broad  street  and  thirty  feet  on  Wall 
street,  was  sold  this  day  at  auction  for  $17,750. 

Thursday,  Feb.  16.  —  I  dined  with  James  G.  King,  where  I 
met  Messrs.  De  Bourmont  and  De  Tocqueville,  the  commissioners 
sent  out  by  the  French  government  to  examine  and  report  upon 
the  prisons  and  prison  discipline  of  this  country.  These  gentle- 
men have  just  returned  from  a  tour  in  the  United  States,  and  will 
sail  for  Europe  in  the  packet  of  the  20th. 

Wednesday,  Feb.  22.  — This  has  been  a  jubilee  in 
Washington's  ^^^  york,  the  centennial  anniversary  of  the  birth  of 

Birthday.  '  •' 

Washington,  and  the  day  has,  no  doubt,  been  observed 
in  all  other  parts  of  the  country.  Here  we  had  a  firing  of  cannon 
and  ringing  of  bells.  A  process! c.i  was  formed  under  direction  of  a 
committee  of  arrangements  of  the  Common  Council.  It  left  the 
City  Hall,  and  thence  to  the  new  Dutch  Church,  under  a  military 
escort.  I  walked  as  a  trustee  of  the  college.  The  services  in  the 
church  were  opened  and  closed  with  prayers  by  Dr.  Kuypers  and 
Dr.  Milnor.  Two  odes  composed  by  Woodworth  were  sung,  and 
an  oration  read  by  Gen.  Morgan  Lewis,  which  was  written  in  good 
taste  and  well  delivered,  and  rendered  peculiarly  interesting  from 
the  advanced  age  and  great  respectability  of  the  orator,  and 
from  his  being  one  of  the  small  band  remaining  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary heroes  who  contributed  to  the  success  of  the  glorious 
struggle  for  independence  in  which  Washington  was  the  leader. 

Thursday,  Feb.  23.  —  The  ceremony  of  breaking  ground  for 
the  Harlem  Railroad  took  place  this  day  at  Murray's  Hill, 
three  miles  from  town.  The  usual  jollifications  were  observed. 
John  Mason,  vice-president,  in  the  absence  of  C.  P.  White, 
the  president,  made  a  speech.  He  knows  better  how  to 
make  money,  and  that,  as  the  world  goes,  is  a  more  important 
talent. 

Saturday,  Feb.  25. — The  following  party  dined  with  us:  Mr. 
D.  Lynch,  General  Fleming,  Gen.  J.  J.  Jones,  Mr.  Gibbes,  J.  A. 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  47 

Hamilton,  Robert  Ray,  Richard  Ray,  Mr.  Charles  King,  T.  W. 
Ludlow,  S.  Svvartwout,  Bucknor,  Henry  Hone,  N.  Low. 

Wednesday,  Feb.  29.  —  We  went  to  an  evening  party  at  Mrs. 
Henry  Parish's,  Barclay  street.  The  house  is  new,  everything 
stylish  and  elegant,  and  the  company  filled  every  part  of  the 
splendid  mansion. 

PHIL.4.DELPHLA.,  Tuesday,  March  13. —  We  left  New  York  at  six 
o'clock,  in  the  steamboat  "Swan;"  reached  New  Brunswick  at 
half-past  ten ;  thence  we  found  the  roads  very  bad,  and  when  we 
came  to  Trenton  ascertained  that  the  boat  was  down  at  Bristol, 
having  been  prevented  from  ascending  farther  by  a  freshet  in  the 
Delaware.  The  river  was  swollen  to  a  great  height,  and  rushing 
with  fearful  rapidity  past  the  bridge,  bringing  do\vn  with  it  branches 
of  trees  and  great  quantities  of  drift-wood.  We  took  the  boat  at 
Bristol  and  came  to  the  Mansion  House  at  seven  o'clock. 

Baltimore,  Wednesday,  March  14.  —  Left  Philadelphia  at  six 
o'clock  this  morning  in  the  "  Robert  Morris,"  and  came  to  New 
Castle  at  half-past  nine,  where  we  were  transferred  to  the  railroad ; 
a  pleasant  ride,  which  brought  us  in  an  hour  and  three-quarters  to 
Frenchtown.  The  railroad  is  just  finished,  and  is  an  excellent  sub- 
stitute for  the  bad  roads  which  travellers  had  formerly  to  encounter 
in  crossing  the  peninsula.  The  cars  are  new,  very  handsome,  and 
commodious,  and  are  drawn  at  present  by  horses.  At  Frenchtown 
we  took  the  "  Independence,"  and  arrived  here  this  evening.  The 
weather  during  the  day  had  been  extremely  cold  ;  the  decks  were 
covered  with  ice,  and  on  the  passage  up  the  Chesapeake  bay  the 
wind  blew  so  bitterly  cold  that  the  stoutest  passengers  were  unable 
to  remain  upon  deck. 

WASHrNGTON,  Thursd.ay,  March  15. —  We  left  Baltimore  at  eight 
o'clock  this  morning,  and  came  on  the  stage  over  a  bad  and  some- 
what dangerous  road,  but  without  accident,  and  arrived  here  at  two 
o'clock. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Pendleton.  The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  For- 
syth, of  the  Senate  ;    Judge  Wayne,  of  Georgia  ;    Mr.  Cambreling  ; 


48  THE    DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  52. 

Colonel  Drayton;  J.  A.  Hamilton;  Daniel  Glover;  Mr.  Ewing,  of 
Philadelphia;  James  J.  Jones;  and  Jones  Schermerhorn.  Aftfer 
dinner  we  went  to  the  President's  ;  the  rooms  were  all  filled,  and 
the  company  consisted,  as  usual,  of  all  the  varieties  of  rank  and 
station, —  foreign  ministers  and  shopkeepers,  heads  of  depart- 
ments and  dressers  of  heads,  senators  and  office-hunters.  The 
President  was  sociable  and  courteous,  and  the  ladies  of  his  family 
performed  their  parts  with  great  propriety ;  on  the  whole,  it  was 
an  affair  not  to  be  missed. 

Monday,  March  19. — Mr.  Hamilton  and  I  had  an  agreeable 
visit  this  afternoon  from  Mr.  Webster,  who  came  in  after  dinner  to 
drink  a  glass  of  wine  with  us.  He  was  in  a  fine  talking  humour,  and 
of  course  we  were  pleased  and  instructed.  We  went  this  evening 
to  a  ball  at  Mrs.  Bankhead's.  It  is  a  delightful  house  to  visit,  but 
the  New  Yorkers  say  we  have  better  evening  parties  at  home. 
There  were  many  great  folk,  some  clever  folk,  and  a  fair  propor- 
tion of  queer  folk. 

Wednesday,  March  21.  —  The  girls  and  I  dined  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bankhead.  The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston, 
of  Louisiana;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  L.  Smith;  Miss  Lewis;  Messrs. 
Webster,  W.  P.  Adams ;  Pageot  of  the  French,  and  Khremer  of 
the  Russian,  Legation ;  Mr.  Letcher ;  Baron  Stackelberg ;  and  Col- 
onel Washington.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  a  ball  given  by  Mrs. 
White,  of  Florida,  at  which  were  all  the  distinguished  men,  and  a 
large  proportion  of  the  fine  women,  of  Washington. 

Thursday,  March  22.  —  We  passed  five  hours  in  the  Senate  to- 
day, and  I  do  not  think  I  was  ever  more  interested  in  a  debate. 
The  subject  was  Mr.  Clay's  resolutions,  and  the  whole  strength  of 
the  Senate  was  brought  out.  Sprague,  of  Maine,  made  a  beautiful 
speech.  He  is  considered  a  man  of  fine  talents,  and  is  well  listened 
to.  Mr.  Clay  spoke  several  times ;  so  did  Mr.  Forsyth,  who  is  an 
exceedingly  eloquent  man,  Mr.  Webster,  General  Hayne,  Gov- 
ernor Dickenson,  Mr.  Wilkins,  General  Smith,  etc.  Hayne  was 
vehement,  Forsyth  graceful,   Clay   triumphant,  Webster   didactic, 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  49 

Sprague  argumentative,  Wilkins  confused,  Marcey  concerned, 
Holmes  persevering.  In  the  course  of  the  debate  General  Hayne 
charged  Mr.  Forsyth  with  having  deserted  his  cause,  going  over  to 
the  enemy,  and  pointing  his  guns  against  his  friends.  Forsyth,  in 
reply,  said  he  would  go  as  far  in  opposition  to  the  protective  system 
as  any  man,  constitutionally  and  legally,  but  not  one  inch  farther. 
Hayne  took  fire,  and  demanded  if  the  gentleman  meant  to  insinu- 
ate that  he  and  his  friends  would  go  farther.  He  was  violently 
agitated.  Forsyth  replied  with  dignity  and  calmness.  He  did  not 
allude  particularly  to  the  gentleman  and  his  friends,  but  he  did 
allude  to  a  party  who  were  disposed  to  redress  their  grievances  at 
the  risk  of  the  Union  and  the  Constitution.  The  girls  sat  during 
the  whole  debate,  and  left  the  Senate  only  when  I  was  compelled  to 
go  away,  at  half- past  five  o'clock,  to  prepare  for  dinner.  The  Sen- 
ate adjourned  soon  after  we  left  the  chamber.  It  was  a  great  exhi- 
bition of  talents,  and  we  were  fortunate  in  being  present. 

Baltimore,  Saturday,  March  24.  —  We  left  Washington  at  nine 
o'clock,  and  came  here  to  dine.  A  fine  day,  and  the  roads  much 
improved.  We  had  a  pleasant  ride.  We  had  scarcely  dined  when 
we  had  a  large  number  of  visitors,  and  after  they  left  us  we  passed 
an  hour  sociably  at  Mr.  Meredith's.  We  found  here  most  of  the 
New  Yorkers  who  left  Washington  before  us,  and  Parish,  who  came 
from  Philadelphia. 

Sunday,  March  25.  —  Mr.  Meredith  called  this  morning,  and  we 
walked  out  to  see  the  monument,  the  cathedral,  and  the  Unitarian 
church,  with  a  number  of  fine  houses  which  have  been  lately 
erected  in  that  improving  part  of  the  city.  The  Unitarian  church 
is  a  far  more  beautiful  edifice  than  the  cathedral ;  indeed,  I  think 
it,  as  a  single  room,  the  finest  in  America.  We  returned  to  meet 
Mrs.  Calvert,  who  was  waiting  to  accompany  us  to  St.  Paul's 
church.  The  organ  and  church  singing  is  very  fine.  The  organist, 
a  German,  is  a  first-rate  performer,  and  he  made  his  instrument 
speak  a  language  finer  than  I  ever  heard  in  one  of  our  churches. 

On  our  return  from  church  the  girls  had  a  levee  of  visitors ;  they 


50  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  52. 

receive  the  kindest  attentions  from  all  the  most  distinguished 
persons,  and  oiir  time  is  already  appropriated  during  the  whole 
week.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Caton  having  called  this  morning  to  invite 
us,  we  passed  an  hour  or  two  delightfully  at  their  house  this 
evening.  The  family  were  all  present.  Mr.  Carroll  was  cheerful 
and  talkative,  and  enjoyed  himself  very  much  until  nine  o'clock, 
when,  according  to  his  uniform  practice,  he  took  the  arm  of  Mrs. 
McTavish,  and  quietly  left  the  room.  I  feel  while  in  the  presence 
of  this  venerable  man  as  if  I  were  permitted  to  converse  with  one 
of  the  patriarchs,  revisiting  the  land  which,  in  days  long  gone,  he 
had  enriched  with  his  patriotic  counsels.  He  is  in  his  ninety-sixth 
year ;  his  hearing  is  defective,  and  his  memory  of  recent  events 
imperfect ;  but  he  presents  a  beautiful  example  of  the  close  of  a 
well-spent  life,  —  serene,  cheerful,  and  happy ;  prepared,  it  would 
seem,  "  to  take  his  rest,  with  all  his  country's  honours  blest."  It  is 
very  probable  I  shall  never  again  see  him  after  the  present  visit, 
and  this  reflection  enhanced  the  value  of  the  delightful  hour  I  have 
just  passed  in  his  company.  I  made  Mary  take  a  seat  by  his  side, 
and  she  has  it  to  say  that  she  conversed  some  time  with  the 
last  surviving  signer  of  the  immortal  Declaration  of  Independence. 
Would  to  God  we  had  such  a  race  of  men  in  high  places  at  this 
eventful  period  of  our  country's  affairs  !  But  Providence  took  care 
of  us  in  their  days,  and  as  the  Scottish  ballad  says,  "it  aye  will 
again." 

From  Mrs.  Caton's  we  went  to  Mrs.  Swan's,  where  we  had  been 
invited  to  meet  a  party  of  the  most  agreeable  people  in  Baltimore. 
This  is  pretty  well  for  Sunday,  and  the  Ealtimoreans  are  rather 
strict,  too ;  but  these  parties  were  rational,  delightful,  and  void  of 
offence.  It  is  impossible  to  be  received  with  a  more  frank  and 
hospitable  welcome  than  we  have,  and  if  our  time  does  not  pass 
agreeably  the  fault  will  be  our  own. 

Monday,  March  26.  —  It  rained  all  the  morning,  and  I  did  not 
go  out  until  one  o'clock,  when  I  called  upon  Mr.  Oliver  and  Mr. 
Gilmor.     The  girls  rode  out  with  John  Hoffman  to  see  Chatsworth, 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  5 1 

his  brother's  place.  I  dined  with  a  pleasant  party  at  Dr.  White's, 
and  in  the  evening  we  went  to  a  ball  at  Mrs.  David  Hoffman's, 
where  we  met  all  the  agreeable  people  of  the  place,  and  more 
agreeable  people  are  not  to  be- met  with  anywhere. 

Tuesday.  —  Dined  with  Mr.  Meredith,  with  a  gay  and  pleasant 
party,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Gilmor,  uncle  and  nephew,  Oliver, 
Gibbes,  Carroll,  Harper,  Donnell,  two  or  three  Hoffmans,  etc.  In 
the  evening  went  to  a  beautiful  party  and  supper  at  Mrs.  George 
Hoffman's,  where  we  met  the  whole  array  of  Baltimore  beauty  and 
fashion.  The  party  was  given  in  honour  of  my  girls,  and  I  presume 
Mr.  Hoffman's  splendid  house  was  never  more  splendidly  filled. 

Thursday,  March  29. — Mr.  Oliver  sent  me  a  horse  this  morning, 
and  at  one  o'clock  we  made  an  equestrian  party,  consisting  of 
Messrs.  Oliver,  Meredith,  Charles  Carroll,  and  myself,  and  rode 
around  the  city,  visiting  the  country-seats  of  Mr.  Oliver  and  Mr. 
Carroll,  and  seeing  what  was  worthy  of  notice. 

Friday.  —  In  the  evening  we  went  to  a  leave-taking  supper- 
party  at  Mr.  Meredith's.  As  this  is  our  last  evening  in  Baltimore, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Gilmor,  the  ladies  of  Mrs.  William  Gilmor's 
family,  and  several  young  gentlemen  were  invited  to  meet  us. 

Saturday,  March  31.  —  At  half- past  six  this  morning  we  went 
on  board  the  steamboat  "  George  Washington."  Besides  our  party 
we  had  Jones  .Schermerhorn,  ^Villiam  Edgar,  Hamilton  Fish,  and 
young  McEwen,  of  Philadelphia ;  Mr.  Meredith  and  his  son,  John 
Hoffman,  and  John  Donnell  politely  accompanied  us  to  the  boat, 
and  we  started  with  their  kind  adieus.  Thus  ended  our  visit  to 
Baltimore,  during  which  we  have  received  the  most  gratifying  at- 
tentions and  the  kindest  hospitality.     I  shall  never  forget  them. 

Thursday,  April  i.  —  The  Historical  Society  having 
IS  onca         lately  removed  their  library  to  the  spacious  room  in  the 
third  story  of  the  new  edifice  belonging  to  Mr.  Remsen 
at  the  comer  of  Broadway  and  Chambers  street,  over  the  one  occu- 
pied by  the  Athen?eum,  it  was  opened  this  day,  and  an  address  was 
delivered  to  a  respectable  assemblage  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  by 


52  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  52. 

William  Beach  Lawrence.  It  was  well  written  and  interesting,  but 
his  delivery  is  somewhat  painful,  owing,  apparently,  to  a  difficulty 
of  articulation.  I  presided  as  first  vice-president  in  the  absence 
of  Gen.  Morgan  Lewis,  the  president.  The  room  is  fitted  up  with 
much  taste,  and  the  books  and  curiosities  skilfully  and  scientifically 
arranged,  for  which  the  society  has  been  as  usual  indebted  to  the 
exertions  of  Mr.  John  Delafield. 
^  ,  May  2. — Ogden  Hoffman  made  the  annual  address 

Ogden  ° 

Hoftman's  bcfore  the  alumni  of  Columbia  College.  The  high 
Address.  reputation  of  this  gentleman  as  a  scholar  and  an  orator 

caused  the  college  chapel  to  be  filled  with  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
the  fairest  and  best  of  our  city,  and  no  expectations  had  been 
raised  which  were  not  fully  realized.  I  have  never  heard  a 
production  of  more  taste,  purity,  and  appropriateness,  or  one  de- 
livered with  greater  grace  and  eloquence.  Its  principal  subjects 
were  a  brief  biography  of  the  members  of  the  faculty  in  the  orator's 
time,  and  a  dissertation  on  the  several  branches  of  education 
taught  in  the  college.  In  the  latter,  Mr.  Hoffman  took  a  well- 
chosen  occasion  to  enforce  the  claims  of  classical  learning,  when  a 
host  of  utilitarians  are  springing  up  on  all  sides  preparing  the  pub- 
lic mind  for  a  desertion  of  those  pure  springs  of  knowledge,  from 
which  the  great  and  the  good  in  past  ages  have  drawn  their  richest 
draughts,  and  who  would  annihilate  for  all  future  ages  the  glorious 
language  in  which  Homer  and  Virgil  sang  and  Demosthenes  and 
Cicero  declaimed.  Columbia  College  is  sufficiently  orthodox  on 
this  subject ;  but  when  the  floods  of  innovation  threaten  to  destroy 
the  foundations  of  learning,  the  strongest  barriers  must  be  opposed 
to  their  progress.  On  this  subject  Hoffman  was  clever,  forcible,  and 
touching,  and  all  the  power  of  the  purest  English  was  employed  to 
protect  the  classical  sanctity  of  the  Greek  and  Latin. 

I  feel  this  subject  deeply,  for  I  am  sensible  of  my  own  de- 
ficiency, and  would  give  half  I  possess  in  the  world  to  enjoy  the 
advantages  of  a  classical  education.  Oh  that  my  sons  knew  how 
to   appreciate   their   opportunities   of   acquiring   knowledge,   and 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  53 

would  profit  by  their  father's  experience  !  The  toils  of  eighteen 
would  be  then  richly  rewarded  by  the  delightful  experience  of 
fifty,  and  the  pleasures  of  prosperity  enhanced,  and  the  sorrows 
of  adversity  assuaged,  by  the  stores  of  intellectual  riches  laid 
up  in  early  life. 

Tuesday,  May  15.  —  The  annual  exhibition  has  just 
Acacerayo      ]^qq^   opcucd   at   the   ncw   rooms   in   Barclay  street. 

the  h  ine  Arts.  ^  ■' 

There  is  the  usual  display  of  horrid  portraits,  like 
enough,  in  all  conscience,  to  the  originals,  who  I  wish  were  hanged 
in  their  places.  There  are  two  most  beautiful  pictures  by  Carlo 
Maratti,  belonging  to  an  amateur  named  Dunderdale.  He  wants 
to  sell  them.  I  should  like  to  buy  them,  but  I  will  not.  The 
Academy  of  Design  are  making  great  preparations  for  their  exhibi- 
tion, which  will  be  opened  in  two  or  three  days,  and  will  be  very 
good.  They  have  six  of  ray  pictures :  Bennett's  "  View  of  Castel- 
amare,"  Heyle's  "Landscape,"  Newton's  "  Greek  Girl,"  "The 
Greek  "  and  "  The  Toque  "  of  Weir's,  and  Morse's  "  Thorwaldsen." 
Allston's  new  picture  (I  believe  the  subject  is  taken  from  the  "  Mys- 
teries of  Udolpho,"  or  some  such  startling  romance)  has  been  ob- 
tained from  the  owner.  This  picture  has  made  noise,  and  is  cer- 
tainly fine.  There  is  also  a  noble  full  length  of  Colonel  Varick,  by 
Henry  Inman,  a  splendid  picture.  Portraits,  portraits  enough, 
in  all  conscience  ! 

Arrival  of  TUESDAY,    May    2  2.  —  The    packct-ship   "Havre" 

Washington  arrived  last  evening,  having  sailed  from  Havre  on  the 
Irving.  ^2^j^  of  April.      Among  the  passengers  is  our  distin- 

guished countryman,  and  my  old  friend,  Washington  Irving,  who 
visits  his  native  country  after  an  absence  of  seventeen  years.  I  called 
to  see  him  this  morning  at  his  brother's,  Ebenezer  Ir\ang.  He  has 
grown  very  fat  since  I  saw  him  in  England  in  182 1,  looks  exceed- 
ingly well,  and  is  delighted  to  be  once  more  in  his  native  city.  I 
passed  half  an  hour  with  him  very  pleasantly.  He  talks  a  great 
deal  and  is  in  high  spirits,  a  thing  not  usual  with  him,  except  when 
under  excitement,  as  he  is  at  this  moment. 


54  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  52. 

This  dreadful  disease  has  increased  to  an  awful 
^10  er.1  m  (degree  in  Paris,  and  the  citizens  are  flying  in  every 
direction.  Irving  hurried  away  in  consequence  of  it. 
Mr.  Van  Burcn  went  to  Holland  immediately,  and  was  to  return 
to  England,  whence  he  should  embark  for  America  on  the  ist 
of  June.  Brevoort  and  his  family  have  gone  to  reside  at  Fon- 
tainebleau. 

Wednesday,  May  23.  —  I  have  devoted  nearly  the  whole  day  to 
Washington  Irving.  We  were  invited  by  a  committee  of  the  cor- 
poration to  accompany  them  on  a  visit  to  Blackwell's  Island  and 
Bellevue,  which  has  been  made  up  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  the 
public  institutions  to  General  Santander.  Alderman  Murray  called 
for  Irving  and  me  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  we  rode  out  and  joined 
the  party  at  the  penitentiary  on  Blackwell's  Island.  We  then  re- 
turned with  them  to  the  almshouse,  which,  with  the  workshops, 
schools,  etc.,  was  exhibited  to  the  company.  Besides  General 
Santander  and  his  suite  and  ourselves  there  were  Mr.  LeRay  de 
Chaumont  and  his  son.  Col.  George  Gibbs,  Don  Tomas  Gener, 
Dr.  Bronson,  Mr.  Hoyt,  etc.  At  three  o'clock,  when  they  were 
preparing  to  go  to  dinner,  Irving  and  I  left  them  and  came  to 
town  to  meet  friends  whom  I  had  engaged  to  dine  with  me.  Our 
party  at  dinner  consisted  of  Mr.  Washington  Irving,  Dr.  Wain- 
wright,  Mr.  Charles  King,  James  G.  King,  Ogden  Hoffman,  J.  P. 
Giraud,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  James  Paulding,  Professor  Renwick, 
and  Captain  Nicolson. 

Saturday,  May  26.  —  I  dined  with  Dr.  Wainwright,  and  met 
Irving  and  Newton,  Mr.  Gray,  of  Boston,  and  other  agreeable 
persons.  The  return  of  Geoffrey  Crayon  has  made  old  times 
and  the  associations  of  early  life  the  leading  topics  of  conver- 
sation amongst  his  friends. 

Public  Dinner       WEDNESDAY,    May   30.  —  The    dinner    took    place 

to  Washing-     to-day  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  went  off  finely.     About 

rving.       three  hundred  gentlemen  sat  down.     It  was  a  regular 

Knickerbocker  affair.      There  were  old  New  Yorkers   and  their 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  55 

descendants  in  goodly  numbers,  who  are  seldom  seen  at  such 
places,  and  among  the  invited  guests  were  many  distinguished  men  ; 
viz.,  the  bishops,  Dr.  Wainwright,  General  Santander,  Baron  de 
Behr,  the  new  Minister  from  Belgium,  Don  Tomas  Gener,  General 
Scott,  Commodore  Chauncey,  the  Chancellor  and  Vice-Chan- 
cellor, the  Lieutenant-Governor,  Edward  P.  Livingston,  Judges 
Hoffman,  Oakley,  and  Irving,  Mr.  Gallatin,  Mr.  LeRay  de  Chau- 
mont,  Mr.  James  Paulding,  Colonel  Trumbull,  and  Mr.  Newton. 

Saivrday,  June  9.  —  A  great  meeting  was  held  last 
"  "  ^"  evening;  of  liersons  avowedly  friends  to  the  union  of  the 

Meeting.  °          '  •' 

States  and  in  favour  of  such  a  modification  of  the  tariff 
as  would  serve  to  produce  that  effect,  together  with  many  violent 
free-trade  men  (as  they  call  themselves),  who  would  destroy  the 
industry  of  the  country  and  discourage  all  improvement  to  support 
their  opinions  and  establish  their  theories.  The  meeting  was 
called  to  order  and  organized  by  that  mild,  amiable,  and  reason- 
able gentleman,  Preserved  Fish.  James  Kent  was  chosen  presi- 
dent, Stephen  Allen  and  Gideon  Lee,  vice-presidents,  Cornelius 
W.  Lawrence  and  John  A.  Stevens,  secretaries.  The  meeting 
was  addressed  and  the  resolutions  moved  by  Peter  A.  Jay,  and 
they  are  quite  unexceptionable,  as  was  to  be  expected  from  that 
gentleman,  who  is  always  wise,  always  honest,  but  sometimes 
a  little  prejudiced ;  but  would  to  God  the  affairs  of  our  country, 
tariff  and  all,  were  in  the  hands  of  such  men  !  The  meeting  was  so 
large  that  the  room  was  insufficient,  and  all  the  approaches  to  it 
crowded  to  excess.  Great  tumult  and  disorder  were  occasioned  by 
some  tariff  men  who  had  better  have  stayed  away.  Party  spirit  has 
unhappily  been  mingled  with  the  question.  The  excitement  in- 
creases every  day.  Reflecting  men  who  love  their  country  and 
would  preserve  its  institutions  are  full  of  alarm  and  serious 
forebodings.  Both  sides  are  wrong.  It  is  vain  to  talk  of  concilia- 
tion. Prejudice  on  one  side,  interest  on  the  other,  and  intoler- 
ance on  both  will  prevent  them  from  approaching  nearer  to 
each  other.     Mr.  Adams's  wisdom  might  do  something  if  it  were 


5^  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  52. 

seconded  by  General  Jackson's  decision.  Happy  would  our 
country  be  if  those  qualifications  were  united  in  one  person, 
and    he   the    chief  magistrate  ! 

Friday,  June   15.  —  The   Albany  steamboat  which 
Canada  '"        Came  down  this  afternoon  brought  the  alarming  news 

that  the  cholera,  which  has  of  late  been  the  scourge 
of  the  Eastern  Continent,  has  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  made  its 
appearance  first  in  Quebec,  and  from  there  has  travelled  with  its 
direful  velocity  to  Montreal.  It  was  brought  to  the  former  city  in 
a  vessel  called  the  "  Carricks,"  with  a  cargo  of  Irish  immigrants, 
of  whom  many  died  on  the  way.  In  a  few  days  fifteen  cases  and 
eight  deaths  were  reported,  principally  in  the  narrow,  dirty  streets 
of  the  lower  town,  and  the  last  report  gave  seventy  cases.  This 
dreadful  disease  has  not  been  more  mortal  in  any  part  of  the  world 
which  it  has  visited.  The  proportion  of  deaths  to  the  number  of 
cases  is  dreadful.  There  can  be  Httle  reasonable  ground  to  hope 
for  our  exemption  in  New  York  from  this  dreadful  scourge.  It 
must  come,  and  we  are  in  a  dreadful  state  to  receive  it.  The  city 
is  in  a  more  filthy  state  than  Quebec  and  Montreal,  and  I  do  not 
know  a  European  city  which  is  worse.  The  alarm  is  great  in 
Albany  and  Troy. 

The   accounts   are    confirmed.     They  have   it   bad 
■chl'iera.      ^nough  at  Quebec  and  Montreal,  and  there  are  reports 

of  a  few  solitary  cases  at  Plattsburgh,  but  they  do  not 
appear  to  be  authentic.  Mr.  Bowne,  our  mayor,  has  published  his 
proclamation  interdicting  the  approach  to  the  city  of  steamboats 
and  other  conveyances  having  passengers  ill  with  the  disease. 
Bishop  Onderdonk  has  published  a  very  sensible  pastoral  letter  to 
the  ministers  of  his  diocese,  urging  them  to  make  a  spiritual  use 
of  the  apprehended  danger,  and  prescribing  a  form  of  prayers  to 
be  used  in  the  service  of  the  Church. 

Monday,  June  18.  —  Prayers  were  offered  up  yesterday  in  all 
the  churches  to  avert  the  threatened  visit  of  the  cholera,  and  ser- 
mons preached  to  prepare  the  minds  of  the  people  for  the  afflic- 


More  of 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  57 

tion,  which  seems  now  to  be  considered  inevitable.  The  weather 
is  warm,  but  clear  and  pleasant;  recent  showers  have  refreshed 
the  earth,  and  have  been  succeeded  by  pleasant  southerly  winds 
and  a  bright  atmosphere.  The  reports  of  the  day  are  that  the 
disease  has  increased  in  Montreal  and  Quebec.  The  number  of 
deaths  in  the  former  place  is  said  to  be  two  hundred  and  fifty, 
and  great  exertions  are  made  to  prevent  the  Canadian  emigrants 
from  being  brought  by  steamboats  or  canal-boats  into  our  State. 

General  Scott  has  received  orders  from  the  War 
War  "  ''"  Department  to  proceed  forthwith  to  Fort  Dearborn,  at 
Chicago,  on  Lake  Michigan,  to  take  command  of  the 
army,  and  fight  the  Sacs  and  Fox  Indians  who  have  recently  com- 
mitted outrages  upon  the  inhabitants  of  Illinois,  and  murdered 
some  of  the  Menominee  Indians  friendly  to  the  United  States. 
Fourteen  companies  of  United  States  troops  equipped  as  infantry 
are  ordered  to  rendezvous  here  and  proceed  by  the  North  river, 
the  Erie  canal,  and  the  lakes  to  their  destination.  The  cadets 
from  West  Point  who  have  just  now  graduated  are  ordered  on  this 
service.  Henry  Swartwout,  who  is  one  of  them,  called  this  after- 
noon to  see  us,  and  is  delighted,  as  most  of  his  class  are,  with  the 
prospect  of  military  distinction  which  this  expedition  promises. 
I  saw  the  major-general  this  evening.  He  will  wait  for  the  arrival 
of  the  troops,  five  companies  of  whom  are  to  come  from  Old 
Point  Comfort,  Va.,  and  expects  to  embark  the  latter  part  of  this 
week.  He  is  ordered  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  murderers 
of  the  friendly  Indians,  to  compel  the  hostile  Indians  to  observe 
the  treaty  which  was  made  with  them  by  General  Gaines  last 
year,  and  to  take  their  leader,  the  Black  Hawk,  dead  or  alive. 
This  celebrated  warrior  is  said  to  be  as  formidable  as  the  famous 
Tecumseh,  and  peace  cannot  be  restored  to  the  frontier  until  he 
is  captured  or  destroyed. 

Wednesday,  July  4.  —  It  is  a  lovely  day,  but  very  different  from 
all  previous  anniversaries  of  independence.  The  alarm  about  the 
cholera  has  prevented  all  the  usual  jollification  under  the  public 


58  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 

authority.  There  are  no  booths  in  Broadway,  the  parade  which 
was  ordered  has  been  countermanded,  no  corporation  dinner,  and 
no  ringing  of  bells.  Some  troops  are  marching  about  the  street, 
"upon  their  own  hook,"  I  suppose.  Most  of  the  stores  are  closed, 
and  there  is  a  pretty  smart  cannonade  of  crackers  by  the  boys ;  but 
it  is  not  a  regular  Fourth  of  July.  The  disease  is  here  in  all  its 
violence,  and  will  increase.  God  grant  that  its  ravages  may  be 
confined  and  its  visit  short ! 

New  York,  Monday,  July  23.  —  I  left  Rockaway  after  breakfast 
this  morning,  and  came  up  to  the  city.  Miss  Lewis,  accompanied 
me.  The  alarm  is  very  great,  but  the  streets  are  more  lively  than 
I  expected.  I  went  to  Wall  street  and  transacted  some  business ; 
there  was  a  considerable  number  of  persons  on  'Change,  and  I 
saw  but  few  stores  closed  in  my  walk.  I  hear  many  dreadful  stories 
of  cholera  cases.  The  end  of  last  week  a  man  was  found  in  the 
road  at  Harlem  who  had  died  of  cholera.  A  coroner's  inquest  was 
called,  and  of  twenty  persons,  jury  and  witnesses,  who  were  present, 
nine  are  now  dead.  John  Aspinwall  told  me  this  story,  who  had 
it  from  Alderman  Murray,  of  the  ninth  ward. 

July  25. — The  Count  Survilliers  sailed  from  Philadelphia  in  the 
ship  "Alexander"  for  London.  His  departure  from  his  residence 
at  Bordentown,  on  the  Delaware,  was  marked  by  the  regrets  of  his 
neighbours  ;  among  \vhom  his  hospitality  and  munificence  have  made 
him  very  popular,  and  he  received  on  his  embarkment  at  Philadel- 
phia the  marked  attentions  of  the  citizens. 

August  8.  —  Joseph  Jefferson,  comedian  of  the  Philadelphia 
Theatre,  died  at  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  on  the  4th  inst.  This  man's 
acting  of  comic  parts  on  the  New  York  stage  is  connected  with  the 
pleasing  recollections  of  my  early  years.  He  was  a  great  favourite 
at  that  time,  and  has  preserved  a  higli  reputation  ever  since  as  a 
comic  performer. 

Sunday,  Aug.  19. —  Margaret  has  a  letter  from  Helen  Kane, 
accompanied  by  a  present  of  a  purse  for  me,  which  is  the  subject 
of  the  following  neat  remark  :  "  Tell  your  fother  that,  although. 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE,  59 

like  my  affection  for  him,  my  poor  little  purse  as  yet  knows  no 
change,  I  hope  it  may  soon  resemble  my  sad  heart  when  absent 
from  him,  and  prove  heavy  and  full  to  overflowing." 

Wednesday,  Aug.  29.  —  We  set  off  to  the  railroad, 
aratoga  ^^^  embarked  in  one  of  a  train  of  carriages ;  arrived 

at  Schenectady,  breakfasted,  walked  a  short  distance  to 
the  commencement  of  the  Saratoga  road,  and  came  in  the  same  way 
to  Saratoga  Springs  by  the  way  of  Ballston,  where  we  arrived  at 
eleven  o'clock,  and  I  am  vv'ell  accommodated  at  Congress  Hall. 
This  is  a  pleasant  mode  of  travelling ;  not  very  rapid  but  free  from 
fatigue  or  inconvenience  of  any  sort.  The  Mohawk  and  Hudson 
road  is  travelled  by  the  power  of  a  steam  locomotive  engine ;  the 
Saratoga,  by  a  horse-power.  The  latter  road  is  scarcely  in  a  state 
to  be  travelled,  and  has  been  in  operation  only  a  few  weeks. 

The  Springs  have  been  almost  deserted  this  summer,  but  there 
are  now  some  clever  people  here  and  at  Sans-Souci.  We  have 
General  Van  Rensselaer  and  his  sons,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilkins,  Oliver 
Kane  and  his  wife,  with  Anna  and  Lydia,  Mrs.  Phil.  Van  Rensselaer, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickenson ;  Judge  Pendleton,  Judge  Woodworth,  Mr. 
Dudley,  William  Laight,  all  with  their  wives ;  Mr.  Huntington  and 
his  family  from  Troy,  with  a  few  beaux,  etc.,  —  in  all  about  sixty 
persons.  The  house  is  clean,  quiet,  comfortable,  and  well  attended. 
I  rode  this  afternoon  with  Dr.  McLean  and  Giraud  to  Riley's,  at 
Saratoga  lake.  S.  Van  Rensselaer,  of  Albany,  and  Philip  Schuyler, 
of  Schuylerville,  came  this  evening. 

New  York,  Thursday,  Sefi-.  6.  —  The  city  appears  as  lively 
and  the  streets  as  full  of  people  as  it  usually  is  at  this  season.  If 
the  cholera  is  still  amongst  us,  it  proceeds  quietly,  uninterrupted 
by  municipal  regulations,  and  apparently  unheeded  by  those  who 
are  exposed  to  it. 

The  packet-ship  "Pacific"  arrived  on  Monday  last,  having  on 
board  Charles  Kemble,  the  celebrated  comedian,  and  his  highly 
gifted  daughter,  Miss  Fanny  Kemble,  who  has  lately  created,  by 
her  fine  acting,  a  great  sensation  in  the  theatrical  circles  of  Great 


60  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  52. 

Britain.  They  are  engaged  by  the  manager  of  the  Park  Theatre ; 
and  as  the  fame  of  the  father  has  long  since  reached  this 
country,  and  the  daughter  is  said  to  inherit  the  talents  of  a  family 
in  which  were  numbered  a  Siddons  and  a  John  Kemble,  there  is 
no  doubt  that  we  shall  be  furnished  with  a  theatrical  treat  of 
the  highest  order.  Wallack  made  his  first  appearance  since  his 
arrival  on  Monday  evening,  and  was  well  received.  They  ought 
to  do  well  this  season  at  the  Park. 

Friday,  Sept.    7.  —  Mr.  Kemble  called  this  morn- 
Kembies  ^"^   ^^^^    ^^^^   ™^    letters   of    introduction   from   Mr. 

Vaughan,  the  British  Minister  to  this  country,  who  is 
now  in  England,  and  from  Mr.  Price.  I  returned  his  visit  and 
saw  his  daughter  (her  father  was  not  at  home).  She  appeared 
deserving  of  all  her  reputation,  —  a  good  figure,  easy  manners, 
sprightly  and  intelligent,  self-possessed,  not  very  handsome,  but 
with  features  animated  and  expressive,  and  calculated  for  great 
stage  effect,  Mr.  Kemble  is  to  make  his  first  appearance  in 
"Hamlet,"  and  his  accomplished  daughter  will  come  out  on  the 
1 7th,  most  probably  in  the  character  of  Juliet,  in  which  she  made 
her  successful  ^e^u^  at  Covent  Garden. 

Mr.  Jones  Schermerhom  called  to  see  me  yesterday,  and  I  have 
sanctioned  his  engagement  with  Mary.  His  mother  and  other 
members  of  the  family  called  to-day,  and  are  heartily  pleased 
with  the  intended  alliance.  Mr.  Schermerhorn  is  confined  to  his 
country-house  with  indisposition.  My  beloved  child  could  not 
have  made  a  choice  more  pleasing  to  me.  Schermerhorn  is  a 
young  man  of  most  amiable  disposition,  good  morals,  agreeable 
deportment,  and  a  gentleman,  of  a  family  with  whom  I  shall  con- 
sider it  an  honour  to  be  allied.  As  far  as  human  foresight  can 
penetrate,  it  is  a  union  calculated  to  promote  our  happiness. 
May  the  Almighty  smile  upon  it  and  realize  our  expectations  ! 

Jones  Schermerhorn,  Mr.  Gaston,  and  Isaac  Hone  dined  with 
us.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  the  theatre  and  saw  Wallack  for 
the  first  time.     He  played  the  part  of  Martin  Heywood  in   the 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  6I 

new  piece  of  "  Rent  Day,"  —  a  very  effective  part,  to  which  he  cjives 
great  interest.  He  has  been  well  received  and  is  in  good  spirits, 
although  his  engagement  will  be  somewhat  interfered  with  by  the 
arrival  of  the  Kembles  so  soon  upon  his  heels. 

Saturday,  Sept.  15. —  The  following  party  dined  with  us: 
Charles  Kemble,  Miss  Fanny  Kemble,  Miss  De  Camp,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  C.  A.  Davis,  Dr.  A,  E.  Hosack  and  Mrs.  Hosack,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cornwall,  of  Nova  Scotia,  Mr.  Charles  Bankhead,  Mr.  Charles 
King,  General  Fleming,  Mr.  Gaston,  D.  Lynch,  Jones  and  Aug. 
Schermerhorn,  Henry  Hone,  and  James  A.  Hamilton.  Miss 
Kemble,  like  all  young  persons  who  have  become  celebrated,  has 
many  and  strong  admirers.  But  many  dislike  her  on  first  acquaint- 
ance. Her  manners  are  somewhat  singular.  Allowance  should 
be  made  for  the  peculiarity  of  her  situation,  just  arrived  among 
strangers,  with  a  consciousness  that  she  is  viewed  as  one  of  the 
lions  of  the  day,  and  as  such  the  object  more  of  curiosity  than  of 
affection.  Her  behaviour  would  be  attributed  naturally  to  timidity,' 
were  it  not  that  at  times  she  appears  to  be  perfectly  self-possessed. 
She  talks  well,  but  will  only  talk  when,  and  to  whom,  she  chooses. 
She  sat  at  my  side  at  dinner,  and  I  certainly  had  no  reason  to 
complain  of  her,  for  I  lost  my  dinner  in  listening  to  her  and  in 
endeavouring  to  make  myself  agreeable.  She  has  certainly  an  air 
of  indifference  and  nonchalance  not  at  all  calculated  to  make 
her  a  favourite  with  the  beaux.  Indeed,  Henry  Hone  and  I  think 
that  she  prefers  married  men.  Her  fault  appears  to  be  an  ungra- 
cious manner  of  receiving  the  advances  of  those  who  desire  to  pay 
her  attention.  This  may  proceed  from  the  novelty  of  her  situation, 
and  may  be  soon  removed.  But  now  is  her  time  to  make  friends 
if  she  wants  them.  She  sang  and  played  for  us  in  the  evening. 
Her  voice  is  not  sweet,  but  has  great  force  and  pathos.  I  am  con- 
firmed in  my  opinion  that  she  has  astonishing  requisites  for  the  stage. 
Her  features  separately  are  not  good,  but  combined  they  make  a 
face  of  great  and  powerful  expression.  She  is  said  to  resemble  her 
aunt,  Mrs.  Siddons.     I  am  of  opinion  that  she   does  not  like  her 


62  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 

profession.  It  is  not  her  favourite  theme  of  conversation  ;  necessity, 
rather  than  choice,  has  led  her  to  adopt  it.  Her  father  is  a  gentle- 
man of  fine  manners  and  dignified  deportment,  somewhat  .stiff, — 
for  he  is  a  Kemble,  —  but  evidently  well-bred  and  accustomed  to 
good  society. 

Sunday.  —  Mr.  and  Miss  Kemble  and  Miss  De  Camp  were  at 
Trinity  Church,  and  sat  in  my  pew.  They  are  evidently  accustomed 
to  attend  divine  service,  a  practice  which  is  not  so  frequent  with 
persons  of  their  p^-ofession  as  might  be  wished. 

Monday,  Sept.  17.  —  Charles  Kemble  made  his  first  appearance 
this  evening  at  the  Park  Theatre,  in  the  character  of  Hamlet,  to 
a  great  house.  He  was  well  received,  and  listened  to  with  great 
attention.  There  were  not  many  ladies  in  the  house,  but  the  audi- 
ence appeared  to  be  critical  and  discriminating.  It^was  precisely 
such  acting  as  my  recollection  of  Kemble  and  my  opinion  of  his 
powers  had  led  me  to  expect.  The  part  was  deeply  studied  and 
well  understood ;  his  reading  is  critically  correct,  his  elocution 
distinct,  and  his  manner  dignified ;  but  he  is  too  formal,  even  for 
Hamlet.  His  pauses  are  too  long  and  too  frequent,  so  much  so 
as  to  make  the  representation  fatiguing ;  and  for  myself,  I  confess 
that,  although  my  judgment  is  perfectly  satisfied,  his  Hamlet  falls 
far  short  of  the  power  to  interest  me  and  give  me  pleasure  of 
Kean's  or  even  Wallack's,  and  he  labours,  moreover,  under  one  great 
disadvantage,  of  which  he  has,  unfortunately,  no  chance  of  amend- 
ment, —  he  is  too  old  by  thirty  years  for  this  part,  and  the  expres- 
sion of  his  face  will  do  better  for  Lord  Townly,  Sir  Edward 
Mortimer,  King  John,  and  other  such  parts.  He  is,  on  the 
whole,  a  fine  actor,  a  good  study  for  the  younger  men,  and  his  visit 
to  this  country  ought  to  improve  the  American  stage.  Fanny 
Kemble  is  to  appear  to-morrow  evening  in  "  Fazio." 

Tuesday,  Sept.   18.  —  Miss  Fanny  Kemble  made   her  first  ap- • 
pearance   this   evening   in   the  character  of  Bianca,  in  Milman's 
tragedy  of  "  Fazio."     It  is  a  fine  part,  well  calculated  for  a  display 
of  the  strongest  passions  of  the  female  heart,  —  love,  hate,  and  jeal- 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  63 

ousy.  I  predicted  before  we  went  that  it  would  be  no  half-way 
affair ;  she  would  make  the  most  decided  hit  we  have  ever  wit- 
nessed, or  would  fail  entirely ;  and  so  it  proved.  I  have  never 
witnessed  an  audience  .so  moved,  astonished,  and  delighted.  Her 
display  of  the  strong  feelings  which  belong  to  the  part  was  great 
beyond  description,  and  the  expression  of  her  wonderful  face  would 
have  been  a  rich  treat  if  her  tongue  had  uttered  no  sound.  The 
fifth  act  was  such  an  exhibition  of  female  powers  as  we  have  never 
before  witnessed,  and  the  curtain  fell  amidst  the  deafening  shouts 
and  plaudits  of  an  astonished  audience.  She  has  some  faults  :  her 
low  tones  are  sepulchral  and  indistinct,  —  and  yet  her  voice  appears 
to  me  capable  of  anything  which  her  judgment  would  lead  her  to 
execute,  —  and  she  is  at  times  somewhat  monotonous,  particularly 
in  the  unimpassioned  passages ;  but  this  may  be  the  defect  of  edu- 
cation. It  was  the  fault  of  John  Kemble  and  of  Mrs.  Siddons,  and 
is  that  of  her  father.  It  runs  in  the  family.  But  on  the  whole  I  am 
quite  satisfied  that  we  have  never  seen  her  equal  on  the  American 
stage,  and  England  has  witnessed  none  since  Miss  O'Neil. 

Died  on  Monday,  at  Kinderhook,  in  the  eighty- sixth  year  of  his 
age,  Peter  Van  Schaick,  LL.D.,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  law- 
yers and  accomplished  scholars  in  the  United  States.  He  was  a 
contemporary  and  fellow-student  of  Governor  Jay,  Chancellor  Liv- 
ingston, Judge  Benson,  and  other  great  men  of  former  times.  He 
has  been  .blind  for  the  last  twenty  years,  but  his  intellectual  faculties 
continued  unimpaired,  and  he  was  considered  to  the  last  an  oracle 
of  legal  wisdom  and  literary  endowment. 

Thursday,  Sept.  20.  —  Charles  Kemble  and  his  accomplished 
daughter  appeared  this  evening  in  "  Romeo  and  Juliet."  Both 
parts  were  admirably  performed.  Mr.  Kemble  is  too  old  for 
Romeo,  —  Mercutio  is  his  part,  —  but  this  difficulty  was  overcome 
by  his  perfect  conception  of  the  character,  the  grace  of  his  elocu- 
tion, and  the  eloquence  of  his  deportment.  Juliet  was  something' 
beyond  my  powers  of  description.  I  never  saw  a  female  performer 
at  all  to  compare  with  her  in  this  part,  and  I  cannot  imagine  any- 


64  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  52. 

thing  to  exceed  it.     She  is  destined  to  fill  the  place   of  Mrs.  Sid- 
dons,  and  make  the  finest  performer  in  the  world. 

The  distresses  of  the  lower  classes  in  England  and  Ire- 
ElTXIn"s  ^'^^^^  ^^^^^  caused  emigration  to  America  in  numbers  so 
great  as  to  cause  serious  alarm.  Besides  the  immense 
numbers  which  are  daily  arriving  here  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
United  States,  it  is  stated  that  forty-nine  thousand  five  hundred  and 
sixty-nine  emigrants  have  arrived  at  Quebec  since  the  opening  of 
the  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence  the  present  year.  Of  these,  a 
large  proportion  find  their  way  into  the  United  States  destitute  and 
friendless.  They  have  brought  the  cholera  this  year,  and  they  will 
always  bring  wretchedness  and  want.  The  boast  that  our  country 
is  the  asylum  for  the  oppressed  in  other  parts  of  the  world  is  very 
philanthropic  and  sentimental,  but  I  fear  that  we  shall,  before  long, 
derive  little  comfort  from  being  made  the  almshouse  and  place  of 
refuge  for  the  poor  of  other  countries. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  25.  —  Died  yesterday,  at  Throg's  Neck,  George 
Lorillard,  aged  sixty-six.  He  was  an  old  bachelor,  brother  of  Peter 
and  Jacob  Lorillard,  and  lost  an  immense  sum  of  money  by  dying. 

Saturday,  Sept.  29.  —  Miss  Kemble  drove  out  this  morning  with 
my  daughters  and  me.  The  more  I  see  of  this  wonderful  girl  the 
more  I  am  pleased  with  her.  She  has  rare  talents  in  conversation, 
and  in  her  profession  she  has  already  made  an  impression  which 
will  never  be  forgotten  by  the  people  of  New  York. 

Tuesday,  Oct.  16.  —  I  rode  out  this  morning  with  Mr.  Richard 
Caton,  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Carroll,  and  father  of  the  Marchioness  of 
Wellesley  and  the  Countess  of  Carmarthen,  who  is  here  on  a  visit 
from  Baltimore.  We  drove  about  the  suburbs,  and  it  was  grati- 
fying to  me  to  hear  the  astonishment  expressed  at  the  magnifi- 
cence of  the  city  by  one  who  has  not  visited  it  for  upwards  of 
twenty  years. 

Friday,  Oct.  19.  —  I  went  with  the  girls  this  morning  to  pay 
a  bride's  visit  to  Mrs.  Jared  Sparks,  late  Miss  Allen,  of  Hyde 
Park.     She  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  women  I  ever  saw,  — 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   TIIILIP   IIOXE.  65 

not  what  would  be  called  a  perfect  beauty,  but  with  a  face  ex- 
pressive as  one  of  Raphael's  Madonnas,  and  a  form  of  Grecian 
mould,  Tliis  lady  writes  well,  paints  beautifully,  and  excels  in 
music.  She  is  going  to  Boston,  where  they  know  how  to  appre- 
ciate such  characters. 

Monday,  Oct.  22.  —  Ball  Hughes's  monument  to  Bishop  Hobart 
is  ready  to  be  put  up  in  the  chancel  of  Trinity  Church,  and  we 
are  preparing  to  alter  the  pulpit  and  desk  to  suit  it.  Mr.  Hughes 
is  also  engaged  in  making  a  beautiful  altar-table  of  white  Italian 
marble,  and  I  think  the  effect  of  the  whole  will  be  much  finer 
than  anything  of  the  sort  we  have  seen  in  this  country. 

Wednesday,  Oct.  24.  —  Miss  Fanny  Hamilton,  daughter  of 
James  A.  Hamilton,  was  married  last  evening  to  George  Bovvdoin. 

Thursday,  Oct.  25.  —  My  birthday.  I  am  fifty- two  years  of 
age.  I  am  much  older  in  feelings  than  I  was  last  year  at  this 
time.  Two  or  three  attacks  of  illness  during  the  last  summer 
have  left  me  weakly  and  subject  to  indisposition.  If  I  indulge 
in  the  good  things  which  are  constantly  tempting  me  I  am  sure  to 
suffer  for  it,  and  am  compelled  to  temperance  malgre  moi. 

Fpjday,  Oct.  26.  —  I  dined  with  Abraham  Schermerhom,  where 
we  had  a  clerical  party,  consisting  of  Bishop  Bowen,  Bishop 
BroAvnell,  Dr.  Wainwright,  Mr.  Creighton,  and  several  laymen  of 
the  convention.  This  body  has  been  engaged  for  several  days  in 
the  discussion  of  an  important  subject ;  viz.,  the  acceptance  of  the 
resignation  of  Bishop  Chase,  of  Ohio,  and  the  validity  of  the  ap- 
pointment of  Mr.  Mcllvaine  as  his  successor,  the  question  being 
whether  a  bishop  can  vacate  his  see  in  any  case.  There  has  been 
a  great  deal  of  speaking,  and  the  meetings  of  the  convention 
daily  at  St.  John's  Chapel  have  attracted  crowds  of  people  to 
hear  the  debate.  Mr.  Jay,  President  Duer,  and  Dr.  Wainwright, 
of  the  New  York  delegation,  have  each  made  long  and  eloquent 
speeches. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  7.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  : 
Mr.  Wallack,   Charles    Kemble,    Mr.  Truman,   Mr.   Moore,   I.  S. 


66  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 

Hone,  J.    Howard   Payne,  Mr.   Buckland,   Thomas   W.    Ludlow, 
Robert  Emmet,  and  Henry  Hone. 

Friday,  Nov.  9.  —  This  glorious  light  of  literature, 
,J ',    "^    "^     which   has   for   some   months   been   flickering  in  the 

\\  alter  Scott.  ° 

socket  of  existence,  is  at  last  extinguished.  The  pride 
of  Great  Britain,  the  delight  of  all  who  can  read  the  English 
language  and  enjoy  its  richest  treasures,  has  closed  his  brilliant 
career,  and  increased  the  gap  which  the  death  of  Byron  occa- 
sioned to  an  extent  so  great  that  it  cannot  be  filled  during  the 
present  generation  of  mankind.  Both  were  splendid  luminaries 
in  the  world  of  letters ;  but  the  former  passed  over  its  firmament 
like  a  bright  and  transient  meteor,  while  the  latter,  adding  to  the 
influence  of  his  talents  that  of  his  exceUent  moral  character  and 
kind  feelings  in  his  intercourse  with  mankind,  shed  around  his 
path  the  genial  warmth  of  the  sun,  enlightening  and  vivifying  like 
his  rival,  but  not  like  him  scorching  and  dazzling  the  eyes  of 
beholders. 

Tuesday,  Nov.  13.  —  Dined  with  Mr.  Charles  March.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Henry  Gary,  Mrs.  Wayne,  Dr.  A.  E.  Hosack  and  his  wife, 
Mr.  Van  Buren,  Gambreling,  Lynch,  etc.,  were  of  the  party. 
After  dinner  I  saw  part  of  Fanny  Kemble's  Juliet,  which  she 
played  admirably.  I  saw  her  Julia,  in  the  "  Hunchback,"  last  even- 
ing, —  her  best  part,  and  better  than  anything  I  have  ever  seen. 
The  house  was  full  as  possible,  and  hundreds  left  the  doors  unable 
to  get  seats.  I  then  went  to  the  party  at  Mrs.  Delafield's,  Park 
place.  The  attractions  of  the  evening  were  the  bride.  Miss  Dela- 
field,  daughter  of  John  Delafield,  who  has  married  a  son  of 
Gornelius  Du  Bois,  and  The  Pedrotti,  the  prima  donna  of  the 
Italian  opera,  wretchedly  out  of  place,  with  her  immense  viflgar 
figure,  staring  eyes,  and  tawdry  dress,  amongst  the  lovely, 
modest,  and  graceful  women  with  whom  she  was  associated. 
And  she  refused  to  sing,  too,  after  Mrs.  Parish  and  Helen 
McEvers  had  kindly  set  her  the  example.  If  she  did  not  sing, 
why  was  she  there?     And  then  the   elegant    amateurs  of  Italian 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  6/ 

music  pretend  to  compare  this  woman  to  Fanny  Kemble  ;    nay, 

pretend  to  say  that,  independently  of  her  singing,  she  plays  better 

and  has  more  grace  !     She  is  no  more  comparable  to  her  than  I 

to  the  Apollo  Belvidere,   a  sunflower  to  a  violet,  a  cart-horse  to 

the  Bussorah  Arabian,  an  ale-house  sign  to  a  landscape  of  Claude, 

or  Jane,  our  chambermaid,  to  Mrs.  Gardiner  Howland. 

FRroAY,    Nov.    16.  —  The   papers    are    clothed    in 

.^^ ^°    „      mourning ;  the  venerable   Charles  Carroll,  of  Carroll- 
Mr.  Carroll.  °  '  ' 

ton,  died  at  his  house  in  Baltimore  on  Wednesday 
morning,  14th  inst.,  at  four  o'clock,  in  the  ninety-sixth  year  of 
his  age.  This  aged  patriot  and  most  respectable  man  was  born 
on  the  8th  of  September,  in  the  year  1737,  at  Annapolis, 
]\Id.  His  father  died  in  17S2,  aged  eighty  years.  Mr.  Carroll 
was  a  patriot  in  the  days  which  tried  men's  souls.  He  was  a 
member  of  Congress  of  respectable  talents  and  great  personal 
influence ;  but  his  celebrity  of  late  years  has  arisen  principally 
from  the  interesting  position  in  which  he  has  stood  before  the 
American  people  as  the  last  of  that  immortal  band  of  patriots 
who,  in  signing  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  took  all  the 
responsibility  of  the  measure  upon  themselves,  and  gave  a  noble 
pledge  to  work  out  the  political  salvation  of  America.  He  has 
been  the  sole  survivor  since  Jefferson  and  the  elder  Adams  died, 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1S26.  Mr.  Carroll  was  ninety- five  years  old  in 
September. 

His  Excellency,  WiUiam  C.  Rives,  American  Minister  at  the 
court  of  France,  and  his  family  arrived  this  morning  in  the  packet- 
ship  "Sully,"  from  Havre.  Amongst  the  passengers  by  this  ship 
were  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  the  artist,  and  president  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Design. 

Dined  at  the  navy  yard  with  Commodore  Chauncey.  Mr.  Van 
Buren  was  of  the  party.  He  is  all  the  fashion  at  present.  I 
think  the  pride  of  human  nature  must,  in  the  case  of  this  gentle- 
man, be  fully  gratified.  The  late  election  is  a  prodigious  triumph 
for  him,  and  he  must  be  more  or  less  than  man  if  he  can  avoid 


68  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  52. 

exultation  when  he  assumes  the  Vice-President's  chair,  vacated  by 
the  man  who  gave  the  casting  vote  in  the  Senate  which  recalled 
him  from  his  honourable  station  abroad. 

November  27.  —  The  anti-tariff  convention  of  the  State  of 
Georgia  assembled  on  the  15  th  inst.,  at  Milledgeville.  A  long 
string  of  violent  resolutions  were  reported,  breathing  the  poison  of 
nullification  in  every  line. 

December    3.  —  The    South    CaroUna    convention 
^°^^^  have  passed  a  number  of  resolutions,  worse  by  far  than 

Carolina.  '■  ■' 

the  friends  of  union  believed  it  possible  for  them  to  go. 
It  is  rank  treason,  and  in  my  opinion  the  leaders  deser\'e  to  be 
hanged.  It  is  well,  however,  that  these  violent  measures  have  been 
adopted  before  the  meeting  of  Congress,  which  will  take  place  to- 
morrow. It  places  the  nuUifiers  at  once  in  the  wrong,  and  will 
remove  the  doubts  in  the  minds  of  many  good  men  in  Congress 
as  to  the  necessity  of  energetic  measures  in  the  commencement  of 
this  rebellion,  for  it  can  be  called  by  no  other  name. 

December  12.  —  Very  much  to  the  surprise  of  some, 
President's       ^^^  ^^  ^^   satisfaction  of  all  our  citizens,  we  have  a 

Proclamation. 

long  proclamation  of  President  Jackson,  which  was 
published  in  Washington  on  the  12th  inst.,  and  is  in  all  our  papers 
this  day.  It  is  a  document  addressed  to  the  nuUifiers  of  South 
Carolina,  occasioned  by  the  late  treasonable  proceedings  of  their 
convention.  The  whole  subject  is  discussed  in  a  spirit  of  concili- 
ation, but  with  firmness  and  decision,  and  a  determination  to  put 
down  the  wicked  attempt  to  resist  the  laws.  On  the  constitution- 
ality of  the  laws  which  the  nuUifiers  object  to,  and  their  right  to 
recede  from  the  Union,  this  able  State  paper  is  full  and  conclusive. 
The  language  of  the  President  is  that  of  a  father  addressing  his 
wayward  children,  but  determined  to  punish  with  the  utmost 
severity  the  first  open  act  of  insubordination.  As  a  composition  it 
is  splendid,  and  wiU  take  its  place  in  the  archives  of  our  country, 
and  will  dwell  in  the  memory  of  our  citizens  alongside  of  the 
farewell  address  of  the  "  Father  of  his  Country."     It  is  not  known 


1S32.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  69 

which  of  the  members  of  the  cabinet  is  entitled  to  the  honour  of 
being  the  author ;  it  is  attributed  to  Mr.  Livingston,  the  Secretary 
of  State,  and  to  Governor  Cass,  the  Secretary  of  War.  Nobody, 
of  course,  supposes  it  was  written  by  him  whose  name  is  subscribed 
to  it.  But  whoever  shall  prove  to  be  the  author  has  raised  to  him- 
self an  imperishable  monument  of  glory.  The  sentiments,  at  least, 
are  approved  by  the  President,  and  he  should  have  the  credit  of  it, 
as  he  would  the  blame  if  it  were  bad ;  and,  possessing  those  sen- 
timents, we  have  reason  to  believe  that  he  has  firmness  enough  to 
do  his  duty.  I  say,  Hurrah  for  Jackson  !  and  so  I  am  willing  to 
say  at  all  times  when  he  does  his  duty.  The  only  difference 
between  the  thorough-going  Jackson  men  and  me  is,  that  I  will  not 
"hurrah  "  for  him  right  or  wrong.  And  I  think  Jackson's  election 
may  save  the  Union.  If  he  is  sincere  in  this  proclamation  he  will 
put  down  this  rebellion.  Mr.  Clay,  pursuing  the  same  measures, 
would  not  have  been  equally  successful.  He  is  considered  the 
head  of  the  American  System  Party,  and  his  political  opponents 
would  have  thrown  obstacles  in  his  way  from  party  motives ; 
whereas  Jackson's  opponents  are  generally  men  of  more  principle, 
and  will  not  withhold  their  approbation  from  him  when  his 
measures,  as  in  the  present  instance,  are  marked  by  wisdom  and 
decision.  A  majority  of  the  people  would  have  gone  with  him, 
right  or  wrong ;  they  all  will  when  he  is  right.  In  this  able  State 
paper  he  addresses  the  deluded  people  of  South  Carolina  with 
tenderness,  but  seems  to  be  gathering  up  his  wrath  to  let  it  fall 
heavily  on  the  heads  of  the  ringleaders. 

December  18.  —  The  Camden  and  Amboy  Railroad  was  opened 
on  Monday  on  the  whole  line,  and  passengers  who  left  New  York  in 
the  steamboat  for  Amboy  at  half-past  six  were  in  Philadelphia  about 
two  o'clock.  This  is  expected  to  be  the  best  joint-stock  property 
in  the  United  States. 

December  20.  —  Gen.   Robert     HajTie    has     been 
^°"*!^.  elected  Governor  of  South  Carolina,  in  place  of  Gov- 

Carohna.  ^ 

ernur    Hamilton,  whose    term    of  office  had    expired. 


'JO  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 

One  Hotspur  in  place  of  another.  And  John  C.  Calhoun,  the 
present  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  is  elected  to  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States  in  place  of  General  Hayne.  These  ap- 
pointments prove  the  strength  of  the  "  Nullification  "  party.  How 
I  hate  the  word  !  It  is  a  newly  invented  one,  hard  to  write  and 
horrid  to  think  of,  but  the  most  expressive  that  can  be  adopted. 


I833-]  THE  DIARY  OF  PHILIP  HONE.  yi 


1833- 


TANUARY  7.  —  Anew  periodical,  called  the  " Knickerbocker," 
^  made  its  first  appearance  on  the  ist  of  this  month.  It  is  to 
be  a  monthly  publication,  edited  by  Charles  Hoffman,  assistant 
editor  of  the  "  American,"  and  published  by  Peabody  &  Co. 
Bryant,  Paulding,  the  late  Mr.  Sands,  and  a  number  of  other 
eminent  literary  men  were  engaged  as  contributors,  and  the  work 
starts  with  a  subscription  list  of  eight  hundred  names.  Public  ex- 
pectation has  consequently  been  highly  raised,  and,  in  my  case, 
much  disapppointed.  I  do  not  know  what  other  people  may  think 
about  it,  but  in  my  judgment  these  great  guns  have  grievously 
missed  fire.  The  introduction  by  Hoffman  is  long,  laboured,  and 
dull ;  one  of  Paulding's  stories  is  an  unsuccessful  attempt  at  quaint 
humour  (not  an  unusual  thing,  by  the  by,  in  the  works  of  that 
author) ,  and  the  poetry  a  mere  makeweight,  written  apparently  just 
to  fill  up  such  a  space  on  such  a  page,  to  which  it  has  been  al- 
lotted. The  "  New  York  Mirror,"  a  neat  weekly  conducted  by 
Morris,  which  is  a  welcome  visitor  at  my  house  every  Saturday,  is 
worth  a  dozen  of  the  "  Knickerbocker;  "  but  I  am  unkind  in  criti- 
cising so  closely  the  first  number ;  succeeding  ones  will,  no  doubt, 
be  better,  and  I  am  so  partial  to  the  editor,  and  wish  so  heartily 
success  to  the  concern,  that  I  will  not  allow  myself  to  doubt  it. 

Washington,  March  2. —  I  witnessed  an  interesting  scene  in 
the  Senate  this  morning.  Mr.  Clay  arose,  and  with  great  solemnity, 
and  in  that  bland,  engaging  manner  which  in  him  is  irresistible,  ad- 
verted to  an  angry  dispute  which  occurred  a  few  weeks  since, 
between  Mr.  Poindexter,  of  Mississippi,  and  Mr.  Webster,  at  the 
conclusion  of  which  the  former  said,  "  He  felt  the  utmost  contempt 
for  the  gentleman  from  Massachusetts."  These  expressions  were 
attributed  by  Mr.  Clay  to  the  heat  of  debate  and  tlie  excitement 


72  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [-Etat.  53. 

of  opposition  at  a  moment  of  peculiar  interest,  and  he  expressed 
the  greatest  anxiety  that  at  the  close  of  the  session,  when  so  much 
had  been  done  to  conciliate  in  other  quarters,  two  gentlemen 
who  had  frequently  acted  together,  and  between  whom  the  best  feel- 
ings had  heretofore  existed,  should  not  be  suffered  to  part  in  anger. 
Mr.  Poindexter  immediately  arose,  disclaimed  any  intention  to 
offend  Mr.  Webster,  and  made  a  gentlemanly  sort  of  apology,  which 
was  received  in  the  same  spirit  and  acknowledged  in  a  short  speech 
by  Mr.  Webster,  The  parties  then  approached  each  other,  shook 
hands,  and  the  affair  was  settled. 

Monday,  March  4. — The  inauguration  of  Andrew  Jackson  as 
President,  and  Martin  Van  Buren-as  Vice-President,  of  the  United 
States,  took  place  at  noon  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives. I  went  up  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  formed  one  of  the 
immense  crowd  who  thronged  the  approach  to  every  door.  The 
wind  was  very  high,  and  the  severity  of  the  cold  unmitigated,  so 
that  the  time  spent  in  waiting  was  not  particularly  agreeable.  The 
President  and  Vice-President  and  their  cortege  arrived  at  twelve 
o'clock,  and  soon  afterwards  the  doors  were  opened,  when  I  was 
carried  in  with  the  ruffianly  crowd,  but  never  got  farther  than  the 
little  vestibule  in  front  of  the  Chamber.  I  am  told  that  the  Presi- 
dent delivered  an  inaugural  address,  and  the  oaths  were  adminis- 
tered by  the  venerable  Chief  Justice.  The  address  is  published  in 
handbills.  It  is  well  done,  not  too  long,  and  well  adapted  to  the 
state  of  public  affairs. 

Friday,  March  29.  — The  following  party  dined  with  us  :  Judge 
WajTie,  of  Georgia,  and  his  lady ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  H.  Pendleton, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Schermerhorn,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  Wilkes, 
]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  S.  S.  Howland,  Sir  Charles  R.  Vaughan,  Mr.  Bankhead, 
Mr.  Thorn,  Marquis  Torrigiani,  Mr.  James  J.  Jones,  Washington 
Irving,  Commodore  Chauncey,  Mr.  Granger,  and  Mr.  D.  Lynch. 

Saturday,  March  30.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  William  B.  Astor,  and  in 
the  evening  went  for  a  short  time  to  a  party  of  distinguished  lit- 
erary gentlemen  and  others,  at  Dr.  Alexander  Stephens's. 


i833-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  73 

Monday,  April  i  .  —  Mr.  Audubon,  the  celebrated  ornithologist, 
called  upon  me  a  day  or  two  since  with  letters  of  introduction 
from  Mr.  Quincy,  President  of  Harvard  College,  and  Colonel 
Perkins,  of  Boston,  He  is  about  setting  out  on  one  of  his  enter- 
prising excursions  to  the  coast  of  Labrador,  in  pursuit  of  informa- 
tion to  illustrate  his  favorite  science,  to  which  he  is  devoted  with 
the  ardour  of  a  lover  to  his  mistress.  He  is  an  interesting  man  of 
about  fifty-five  years  of  age,  modest  in  his  deportment,  possessing 
general  intelligence,  an  acute  mind,  and  great  enthusiasm.  His 
work  on  the  birds  of  North  America,  on  which  he  is  now  engaged, 
is  probably  the  most  splendid  book  ever  published.  I  have  seen 
several  of  the  numbers  in  the  library  of  Congress,  It  will  require 
nine  years  to  complete  it,  and  will  cost  eight  hundred  dollars ;  all 
the  drawings  are  executed  by  himself  or  under  his  special  superin- 
tendence. Wilson's  book  on  the  same  subject  is  deservedly  cele- 
brated, —  beautiful,  no  doubt,  but  comparing  with  Audubon's  as 
the  Falls  of  Trenton  to  those  of  Niagara. 

Saturday,  April  6.  —  Subscribers  to  the  Marine  Pavilion  to  be 
erected  at  Rockaway.  The  foUo^ving  persons  have  each  subscribed 
five  hundred  dollars:  Nathaniel  Prime,  Robert  Ra)',  John  A. 
King,  Rufus  Prime,  Philip  Hone,  Alfred  Seton,  John  Haggerty, 
Isaac  S,  Hone,  Edward  Prime,  Thaddeus  Phelps,  John  C.  Cruger, 
Samuel  S,  Howland,  Thomas  Sufiem,  Charles  A,  Davis,  Gerard  H. 
Coster,  Reuben  Withers,  Isaac  Jones,  Jr.,  John  G.  Coster,  James 
Boggs,  Goold  Hoyt,  Peter  Schermerhorn,  Lewis  Curtiss,  William  B. 
Crosby,  Benjamin  L.  Swan,  Robert  White,  David  S.  Jones,  John 
MacGregor,  Jr.,  Stephen  Whitney,  Rupert  L.  Cochran,  Isaac 
Carow,  J.  Boorman,  Samuel  Glover,  George  Newbold,  William 
McLeod,  James  Monroe,  John  Mason,  John  Gihon,  Henry  Parish, 
Robert  L,  Patterson,  W.  N.  Furniss,  John  Johnston,  John  W. 
Leavitt,  William  A\'right,  Herman  Thorn,  C.  H.  Russell,  Joseph 
Walker,  Asaph  Stone,  Samuel  Alley,  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Hendrick 
Booraem,  Amos  Palmer,  Gideon  Pott,  Richard  Suydam,  Timothy 
T.   Kissam,  James   Boyd,  Jr.,  Charles  A.    Heckscher,  Brockholst 


74  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  53. 

Cutting,  John  F.  Delaplaine,  Charles  Hall,  Gideon  Lee,  Mortimer 
Livingston,  James  Heard,  Peter  J.  Nevins,  Henry  Laverty,  Peter 
G.  Stuj^esant. 

Wednesday,    May    15.  —  The  spring  exhibition   of 
Academy.        ^^^  National  Academy  has  just  opened.     I  have  paid 

it  only  a  flying  visit.  It  is  a  good  exhibition,  and  if 
the  smiling  faces  of  sundry  "  fat  and  greasy  citizens  "  and  their 
self-complacent  helpmates  were  turned  to  the  wall  instead  of  look- 
ing down  from  their  canvas  habitations  to  fright  the  spectators  from 
"  their  propriety,"  it  would  be  worth  visiting  half  a  dozen  times. 
The  president,  Mr.  Morse,  and  Cole  have  contributed  the  pictures 
which  they  painted  and  brought  from  Europe.  The  former  are 
hard  and  cold  as  ever.  The  warmth  of  the  sunny  skies  of  Italy 
does  not  appear  to  have  had  any  effect  upon  the  worthy  president. 
He  is  an  excellent  fellow,  and  is  well  acquainted  with  the  principles 
of  his  art,  but  he  has  no  imagination.  He  makes  good  portraits, 
strong  likenesses.  Uy  portrait  of  Chancellor  Kent,  by  Morse,  is 
very  good,  and  Thorvaldsen  is  excellent,  but  he  cannot  design. 
There  is  no  poetry  about  his  painting,  and  his  prose  consists  of 
straight  lines,  which  look  as  if  they  had  been  stretched  to  their 
utmost  tension  to  form  clothes-lines.  Cole  maintains  his  ground. 
His  pictures  are  admirable  representations  of  that  description  of 
scenery  which  he  has  studied  so  well  in  his  native  forests.  His 
landscapes  are  too  solid,  massy,  and  umbrageous  to  please  the  eye 
of  an  amateur  accustomed  to  Italian  skies  and  English-park 
scenery,  but  I  think  every  American  is  bound  to  prove  his  love  of 
country  by  admiring  Cole. 

Monday,  May  27.  —  Messrs.  Charles  L.  Livingston, 
the  File°piace.  ^^elps,  Giraud,  and  I  left  home  last  Tuesday  at  one 

o'clock  on  an  excursion  to  Long  Island.  The  next 
morning  we  rose  early,  and  started  at  five  o'clock ;  a  fine  morning, 
the  country  on  all  sides  looking  bright  and  beautiful.  We  had  a 
very  agreeable  ride,  breakfasted  at  Timothy  Carman's,  and  arrived 
at  Sam  Carman's,  at  the  Fire-place,  at  four  o'clock.     The  following 


I833-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HOXE.  75 

day  the  wind  got  around  again  to  the  north-east,  raw,  cold,  and 
rainy,  and  so  it  continued  the  remainder  of  the  week,  with  occa- 
sional intervals,  which  allowed  Giraud  and  me  the  opportunity  of 
fishing  every  day  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  we  took  trout  enough  to 
supply  our  table  during  the  whole  of  our  visit.  They  were  very 
fine,  not  very  abundant ;  but,  on  the  whole,  we  had  good  sport,  and 
we  formed  within  doors  a  gay,  pleasant  party,  and  with  the  assist- 
ance of  stores  we  took  with  us,  we  had  quite  as  much  to  eat  and 
drink  as  was  good  for  us.  On  Sunday  morning  at  eleven  o'clock 
we  left  Carman's  on  our  return.  The  Speaker  and  I  brought  with 
us  a  dozen  trout  which  were  taken  on  the  morning  we  came  away. 
The  weather  was  fine  during  the  whole  of  yesterday,  and  we  came 
to  Van  Cott's,  at  Jamaica,  where  we  lodged,  and  came  away  this 
morning  after  breakfast.  This  is  the  first  day  of  the  races,  and 
there  is  a  great  match  race  between  a  colt  of  Walter  Livingston's 
and  a  Southern  colt  of  Colonel  Johnson's.  Livingston  and  Phelps 
remained  at  the  race-course  to  see  the  race,  and  Giraud  and  I  came 
to  Brooklyn,  where  we  arrived  at  nine.  The  road  was  crowded 
with  vehicles  of  every  description  and  pedestrians  of  every  age  and 
complexion.  Brookl}ai  was  a  scene  of  bustle  and  confusion,  and  the 
sporting  gentlemen  eyed  us  with  looks  of  compassion  that  we  could 
have  so  little  taste  as  to  turn  our  backs  upon  so  pleasant  an  affair. 

Tuesday,  May  28.  —  My  excellent  old  friend,  Corn- 
Navy  Yard,  modore  Chauncey,  is  ordered  to  Washington,  to  fill  a 
place  at  the  Board  of  Navy  Commissioners,  and  Cap- 
tain Ridgely  is  appointed  to  our  navy  yard.  This  will  be  deeply 
regretted  by  many  in  New  York,  for  Chauncey  has  a  vast  number 
of  devoted  friends  here.  I  shall  be  a  heavy  loser  myself.  He 
was  ever  a  most  welcome  guest  at  my  table,  and  I  have  partaken 
"  many  a  time  and  oft "  of  his  noble  hospitality.  We  had  a  stand- 
ing compact,  that  each  of  us  was  to  stand  ready  to  obey  the 
other's  summons  at  a  day's  notice,  when  not  otherwise  engaged. 
And  then  his  fine,  old  sherry,  too  !  he  will  have  to  give  it  to  those 
who  have  not  half  so  much  regard  for  him. 


^6  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  53. 

Mr.  Webster  was  at  the  Eagle  Tavern  the  other  day,  on  his  way 
to  the  western  part  of  the  State,  and  was  presented  to  Judge  Buel, 
the  celebrated  agriculturist,  by  the  loquacious  landlord,  Crittenden, 
in  the  following  flowery  style  :  "  This  is  Judge  Buel,  who  cultivates 
the  finest  flowers  of  the  field,  and  this  the  Hon.  Daniel  Webster, 
who  Culls  the  choicest  flowers  of  rhetoric."  Mr.  Webster  then 
happily  observed  :  "Yonx  flowers  -produce /rui^ ;  mine,  I  fear,  may 
prove  abortive."  To  this  Judge  Buel,  with  great  felicity,  replied  : 
"  My  flowers,  sir,  are  annual  and  evanescent,  while  yours  promise  a 
perpetual  bloom." 

Monday,  June  3.  —  Died  on  Saturday  evening,  in  this  city, 
Oliver  Wolcott,  in  the  seventy- fourth  year  of  his  age.  Mr,  Wolcott 
was  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  Washington.  His  father  was 
a  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  and  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  He  was  afterward  a  merchant  of  this  city, 
president,  successively,  of  the  Merchants'  Bank  and  the  Bank  of 
America,  in  which  latter  institution  I  was  associated  with  him  as  a 
director.  He  then  removed  to  his  native  State,  Connecticut, 
of  which  he  was  elected  Governor,  and  in  which  office  he  continued 
several  years.  He  came  recently  again  to  New  York,  where  he 
lived  in  bad  health  and  in  perfect  retirement  from  society. 

Thursday,  June  13.  —  The  President  is  certainly  the 
Tacklou"  vao%\.  popular  man  we  have  ever  known.     Washington 

was  not  so  much  so.  His  acts  were  popular,  because 
all  descriptions  of  men  were  ready  to  acknowledge  him  the  Father 
of  his  Country ;  but  he  was  superior  to  the  homage  of  the  popu- 
lace, —  too  dignified,  too  grave  for  their  liking ;  and  men  could  not 
approach  him  with  familiarity.  Here  is  a  man  who  suits  them 
exactly.  He  has  a  kind  expression  for  each,  —  the  same  to  all,  no 
doubt,  but  each  thinks  it  intended  for  himself.  His  manners  are 
certainly  good,  and  he  makes  the  most  of  them.  He  is  a  gourmand 
of  adulation,  and  by  the  assistance  of  the  populace  has  persuaded 
himself  that  no  man  ever  lived  in  the  country  to  whom  the  country 
was  so  much  indebted.     Talk  of  him  as  the  second  Washington  ! 


1833-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  JJ 

It  won't  do  now.  Washington  was  only  the  first  Jackson.  Poor 
Adams  used  to  visit  New  York  during  his  presidency.  The  papers, 
to  be  sure,  announced  his  arrival ;  but  he  was  welcomed  by  no 
shouts,  no  crowd  thronged  around  his  portals,  no  huzzas  rent  the 
air  when  he  made  his  appearance,  and  yet  posterity,  more  just  than 
ourselves,  will  acknowledge  him  to  have  been,  in  all  the  qualifica- 
tions which  constitute  his  fitness  to  fill  the  office  of  a  ruler  of  this 
great  Republic,  twenty  times  superior  to  Jackson.  He  wanted  tact. 
He  gave  the  toast  of  Ebony  and  Topaz,  the  ungracious  offspring 
of  a  mind  overloaded  with  study  and  unskilful  in  adaptation.  And 
the  other,  in  a  moment  when  we  were  all  anxious  to  save  the  country 
from  the  mad  schemes  of  visionary  theorists  whose  crude  principles 
of  government  seemed  to  threaten  the  welfare  of  our  federative 
institution,  and  when  we  doubted  what  his  course  would  be,  gave 
in  a  happy  moment  his  toast,  "The  Union  —  it  must  be  preserved." 
It  made  a  difference  of  five  hundred  thousand  votes.  Adams  is 
the  wisest  man,  the  best  scholar,  the  most  accomplished  statesman ; 
but  Jackson  has  most  tact.     So,  huzza  for  Jackson  ! 

June  15.  —  The  celebrated  Indian  chief.  Black  Hawk,  and  his 
companions,  the  prophet  and  his  son,  now  occupy  the  place  in  the 
public  curiosity  which  General  Jackson  filled  during  his  recent 
visit  here.  They  arrived  yesterday,  and  witnessed  the  ascension 
of  the  balloon  from  the  steamboat  in  which  they  arrived.  They  are 
under  the  charge  of  Major  Garland  of  the  United  States  Army. 
The  crowd  was  so  great  that  they  found  it  impossible  to  land  and 
enter  the  garden,  as  was  expected.  They  were  afterward  taken  to 
their  lodgings  at  the  Exchange  Hotel,  in  Broad  street,  and  Black 
Hawk  is  now  the  order  of  the  day. 

Saturday,  June  29.  —  My  estimable  friend.  Colonel  Nicholas 
Fish,  died  durmg  my  absence,  on  Tuesday,  20th  inst.,  in  the 
seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  gallant  and  distinguished 
officer  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  an  accomplished  gentleman 
of  the  old  school,  and  in  all  respects  an  amiable  and  excellent 


78  ■  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  53. 

Col.  Thomas   H.  Perkins,  of  Boston,  made   a  short 

Munificence         .  .  .  1        xt         t^       1        i 

of  Boston.  t^T^Q  smce  a  donation  to  the  New  England  Institution 
for  the  Education  of  the  Blind  of  his  house  and  lot  of 
ground  in  Pearl  street,  worth  $30,000,  on  condition  that  the  farther 
sum  of  $50,000  should  be  raised  for  the  same  object  by  voluntary 
contributions.  The  Bostonians  went  to  work  with  their  accus- 
tomed spirit,  and  collected  in  a  very  short  time  the  sum  of 
$51,117,  of  which  $11,400  were  the  proceeds  of  a  ladies'  fair. 
This  result  having  been  announced  to  the  Colonel  by  a  committee 
appointed  to  receive  the  subscriptions,  he  made  his  offer  binding  by 
a  conveyance  of  the  splendid  mansion  which  he  formerly  occu- 
pied, and  which  I  should  say  from  my  recollection  of  it  is  fully 
worth  the  estimated  sum. 

July  i.  —  Married  suddenly,  on  Saturday  evening,  Henry  N. 
Cruger,  of  Charleston,  to  Miss  Harriet  Douglas,  the  American 
Madame  de  Stael. 

Wednesday,  July  3.  —  The  celebrated  Colonel  Burr  was  mar- 
ried on  Monday  evening  to  the  equally  celebrated  Mrs.  Jumel, 
widow  of  Stephen  Jumel.  It  is  benevolent  in  her  to  keep  the  old 
man  in  his  latter  days.     One  good  turn  deserves  another. 

Thursday,  Aug.  22.  —  A  very  agreeable  wedding  took  place 
this  day  at  Jamaica.  Henry  Van  Rensselaer,  son  of  Gen.  Stephen 
Van  Rensselaer,  was  married  to  ISIiss  Elizabeth  Ray  King,  second 
daughter  of  John  A.  King.  I  was  in  company  one  evening  last 
winter  at  a  party  with  Mrs.  King,  Mrs.  Abraham  Ogden,  and  Mrs. 
Edward  R.  Jones,  and  was  boasting  of  some  fine  Arrack  more 
than  sixty  years  old  which  I  had  obtained.  I  promised  each  of 
these  ladies  a  bottle  of  it  on  the  occasion  of  a  marriage  of  a 
daughter.  This  is  the  first,  and  I  have  redeemed  my  pledge  by 
sending  Mrs.  King  a  bottle  on  Saturday,  with  my  compliments  and 
congratulations. 

Monday,  Aug.  26.  —  Died  at  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  on  Saturday 
evening,  Egbert  Benson,  aged  eighty-seven  years.  This  patriarch 
has  held  a  conspicuous  station  in  the  affairs  of  this  State,  —  a  law- 


1833.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  79 

yer  of  eminence  in  the  early  part  of  his  hfe,  occupying  a  high 
judicial  station  at  a  more  advanced  period,  a  patriot  and  a  staunch 
Whig  during  the  Revolution.  Few  men  have  been  more  generally 
known  and  esteemed  than  Judge  Benson.  He  has  lived  in  retire- 
ment for  many  years,  and  dies  at  a  very  advanced  age. 

Monday,  Sept.  16.  — The  drawing  for  boxes  at  the  Italian  opera 
house  took  place  this  morning.  My  associates,  Mr.  Schermerhorn 
and  General  Jones,  are  out  of  town,  and  I  attended  and  drew 
No.  8,  with  which  I  am  well  satisfied.  The  other  boxes  will  be 
occupied  by  the  following  gentlemen  :  Gerard  H.  Coster,  G.  G. 
Rowland,  Rufus  Prime,  Mr.  Panon,  Robert  Ray,  J.  F.  Moulton, 
James  J.  Jones,  D.  Lynch,  E.  Townsend,  John  C.  Cruger,  O. 
Mauran,  Charles  Hall,  J.  G.  Pierson,  and  S.  B.  Ruggles. 

Monday,  Sept.  30.  —  We  went  this  evening  to  see  Mr.  and  Miss 
Kemble  in  the  "  Stranger."  Mrs.  Haller  is  thought  by  many  per- 
sons to  be  Fanny  Kemble's  best  part.  She  certainly  played  this 
evening  with  the  most  affecting  pathos  and  tenderness ;  and  so  the 
audience  appear  to  think,  for  I  never  saw  persons  more  attentive 
and  more  deeply  affected.  I'his  will  probably  be  her  last  engage- 
ment, if  the  report  is  true  that  she  is  married  already,  or  about  to 
be,  to  Mr.  Pierce  Butler,  of  Philadelphia. 

Thursday,  Oct.  3.  —  A  notice  appeared  in  the  papers 
of  yesterdav,  signed  by  Joshua  Leavitt,  William  Goodell, 

Meeting.  •'  .  j      ^  j  j  i  7 

William  Green,  Jr.,  John  Rankin,  and  Lewis  Tappan, 
calling  a  meeting  of  "  the  friends  of  immediate  abolition  of  slavery 
in  the  United  States  "  at  Clinton  Hall  last  evening.  I  expressed 
great  dissatisfaction  that  the  hall  should  be  let  without  my  appro- 
bation for  any  purpose  not  immediately  connected  with  the  objects 
of  the  institution,  and  my  decided  opposition  to  its  being  used  for 
the  agitation  of  this  most  mischievous  question.  A  great  crowd 
of  people  collected  to  oppose  the  object  of  the  meeting,  and 
hearing  that  they  had  become  tumultiTbus,  I  went  over  and  found 
that  Mr.  Leavitt  and  Mr.  Olmstead,  the  former  of  whom  had 
granted  the  use  of  the  Jiall,  had   been  there  and  countermanded 


80  THE   DIARY   OF   rilTLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  53. 

the  permission,  and  locked  the  doors.  The  assemblage  of  persons 
had  adjourned  to  Tammany  Hall,  appointed  Robert  Bogardus 
chairman  and  M.  C.  Patterson  and  P.  P.  Parsells  secretaries,  and 
passed  resolutions  disapproving  the  objects  of  the  meeting. 

Monday,  Oct.  7.  —  On  the  way  to  Rockaway  my  daughter  and 
I  stopped  at  Snedecor's  to  look  at  Eclipse.  This  noble  animal, 
whose  blood  flows  in  the  veins  of  all  the  finest  horses  in  this 
country,  was  twenty  years  old  last  spring.  His  owner,  Walter 
Livingston,  has  lately  sold  one-half  of  him  for  $4,500  to  Colonel 
Johnson,  of  Virginia,  who  (after  a  year,  during  which  time  he  is  to 
remain  on  Long  Island)  will  take  him  away  to  improve  the  blood 
of  the  South.  Eclipse  looks  as  fine  as  ever.  He  is  under  the  care 
of  a  groom  who  has  had  nothing  else  to  do  for  the  past  nine 
years  but  attend  to  the  grand  sultan,  brush  his  coat,  comb  his 
mane,  make  his  bed,  and  provide  his  meals ;  verily,  the  horse  and 
his  keeper  have  both  an  easy  life  of  it. 

Friday,  Oct.  18.  —  I  regret  exceedingly  that  the  visit 

r.  ay  s  ^^  ^^  distinguished  friend,  Mr.  Clay,  should  have  been 
made  during  my  absence.  I  knew  he  was  expected, 
but  hoped  to  be  back  before  his  arrival.  He  came  on  Tuesday, 
and  was  received  with  the  most  distinguished  marks  of  respect. 
Crowds  of  people  received  him  with  enthusiastic  cheers  on  his 
landing,  and  he  was  escorted  by  one  hundred  gentlemen  on  horse- 
back to  the  lodgings  which  had  been  prepared  for  him  at  the 
American  Hotel,  the  same  which  "  the  greatest  and  best "  occu- 
pied during  his  visit.  A  public  dinner  was  tendered  to  him,  which 
he  declined,  as  he  had  previously  done  a  similar  compliment  in 
Philadelphia. 

November  2.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Bucknor,  and  met  Commo- 
dore Chauncey  there.  Dr.  Wainwright  was  of  the  party.  He  has 
determined  at  last  to  accept  the  call  which  has  been  strongly 
pressed  upon  him  to  become  rector  of  St.  Paul's,  Boston,  and  will 
leave  Grace  Church  and  his  congregation  here  —  the  most  eligible 
clerical  living,  I  believe,  in  the  United  States  —  from  what  he  con- 


i833.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  8 1 

siders  a  sense  of  duty,  it  having  been  represented  to  him  that  his 
acceptance  of  the  call  is  the  only  means  of  keeping  the  congregation 
of  St.  Paul's,  the  most  respectable  Episcopal  church  in  New  Eng- 
land, from  falling  to  pieces.  But  I  fear  if  they  are  such  a  set  of 
nullifiers  he  will  not  have  much  comfort  amongst  them,  and  his 
departure  from  New  York  will  occasion  a  severe  loss  to  his  congre- 
gation, and  be  deeply  lamented  by  a  large  circle  of  devoted 
personal  friends. 

Tuesday,  Nov.  5. — James  Fenimore  Cooper  and  his  family 
arrived  to-day  in  the  ship  "  Sampson  "  from  London.  This  gentle- 
man has  acquired  a  high  literary  reputation  during  his  residence  in 
Europe  as  the  author  of  several  novels,  but  I  doubt  very  much  if 
the  works  which  he  published  before  he  went  away  do  not  form  a 
foundation  for  his  fame,  of  which  the  superstructure  he  has  subse- 
quently erected  is  scarcely  worthy.  His  late  works  have  certainly 
not  added  much  to  his  reputation  on  this  side  of  the  water. 
Opening  of  MoNDAV,  Nov.  1 8.  —  The  long-cxpectcd  opening  of. 

the  Opera  the  opcra  house  took  place  this  evening,  with  the 
House.  opera,  "  La  Gaza  Ladra,"  —  all  new  performers  except 

Signora  Marozzi,  who  belonged  to  the  old  company.  The  prima- 
donna  soprano  is  Signorina  Fanti.  The  opera,  they  say,  went  off 
well  for  a  first  performance ;  but  to  me  it  was  tiresome,  and  the  au- 
dience was  not  excited  to  any  violent  degree  of  applause.  The 
performance  occupied  four  hours,  —  much  too  long,  according  to  my 
notion,  to  listen  to  a  language  which  one  does  not  understand  ;  but 
the  house  is  superb,  and  the  decorations  of  the  proprietors'  boxes 
(which  occupy  the  whole  of  the  second  tier)  in  a  style  of  magnifi- 
cence which  even  the  extravagance  of  Europe  has  not  yet  equalled. 
I  have  one-third  of  box  No.  8  ;  Peter  Schermerhorn,  one-third ; 
James  J.  Jones,  one-sixth ;  and  William  Moore,  one-sixth.  Our 
box  is  fitted  up  with  great  taste,  with  light-blue  hangings,  gilded 
panels  and  cornice,  arm-chairs,  and  a  sofa.  Some  of  the  others 
have  rich  silk  ornaments,  some  are  painted  in  fresco,  and  each 
proprietor  seems  to  have  tried  to  outdo  the  rest  in  comfort  and 


82  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^tat..53. 

magnificence.  The  scenery  is  beautiful.  The  dome  and  the  fronts 
of  the  boxes  are  painted  in  the  most  superb  classical  designs,  and 
the  sofa-seats  are  exceedingly  commodious.  Will  this  splendid 
and  refined  amusement  be  supported  in  New  York?  I  am 
doubtful. 

Monday,  Nov.  i8.  —  The  ill-advised  and  arbitrary  step  of  the 
President  in  removing  the  deposits  from  the  Bank  of  the  United 
States  has,  as  was  predicted,  occasioned  a  collision  between  the 
branches  of  that  institution  and  the  State  banks  which  have  been 
selected  to  receive  the  public  money,  producing  an  awful  scarcity 
of  money,  with  immediate  distress  and  melancholy  forebodings  to 
the  merchants  and  others,  who  require  credit  to  sustain  them. 
Stocks  of  every  description  have  fallen, —  Delaware  and  Hudson, 
from  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  and  fourteen; 
Boston  and  Providence,  from  one  hundred  and  fifteen  to  one  hun- 
dred and  three  :  in  both  of  these  I  suffer.  Money  cannot  be  had 
on  bond  and  mortgage  at  seven  per  cent.,  and  I  am  told  good 
notes  will  hardly  be  discounted  at  nine  per  cent. 

Tuesday,  Nov.  19.  —  Mr.  Clay  told  me  this  morning  that  he 
wished  to  visit  Chancellor  Kent,  and  I  called  for  him  and  drove  him 
to  the  Chancellor's,  where  we  paid  a  delightful  visit  of  about  an 
hour,  with  which  they  were  both  highly  gratified.  It  is  a  fine  trib- 
ute to  the  character  of  my  excellent  friend  that  such  a  man  as 
Mr.  Clay,  when  he  visits  New  York,  is  always  desirous  to  see  him. 
There  is  a  virtuous  simplicity  about  him  which  adorns  the  sterling 
qualities  of  his  mind,  and  leaves  us  in  doubt  whether  we  are  most 
fascinated  by  his  good  heart  or  his  strong  intellect. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Donaldson,  where  I  met  his  distinguished 
father-in-law,  Mr.  Gaston,  Chancellor  Kent,  Mr.  Everett,  Colonel 
Trumbull,  Mr.  Jay,  Mr.  David  B.  Ogden,  etc.  It  was,  of  course,  a 
pleasant  dinner.  I  have  seldom  met  a  man  with  whom  I  was  so 
much  pleased  as  Mr.  Gaston.  He  possesses  a  refined  mind,  culti- 
vated understanding,  and  agreeable  manners,  and  would  be  an 
ornament  to  public  life,  were  it  not  that  he  adheres  with  honourable 


iS33-]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  83 

pertinacity  to  the  unfashionable  name  and  principles  of  Federalism. 
More's  the  pity  for  the  country  ! 

Wednesday,  Nov.  20.  —  Mr.  Edward  Everett,  the  distinguished 
member  of  Congress  from  Massachusetts,  called  to  see  me  this 
morning,  and  sat  half  an  hour  with  me.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  tal- 
ents, a  good  writer,  and  an  eloquent  orator ;  a  little  pedantic,  but 
his  manners  are  unaffected,  and  his  conversation  instructive  and 
agreeable.  He  is  to  deliver,  this  evening,  the  introductory  to  the 
course  of  lectures  of  the  Mercantile  Library  Association,  at  Clinton 
Hall.  It  will,  no  doubt,  be  a  great  treat.  I  ought  to  go,  and 
would  like  to,  but  I  have  engaged  company  at  home  to  meet  Mr. 
Ch}'.  The  following  gentlemen  supped  with  me  :  Mr.  Clay,  Mr. 
C.  L.  Livingston,  Mr.  Lydig,  ]Mr.  Phelps,  Mr.  Moore,  Mr,  H. 
Suydam,  Mr.  D.  S.  Jones,  Mr.  Talman,  Mr.  Giraud,  Mr.  L  S.  Hone, 
■Sir.  Wynkoop,  Mr.  Ijowne,  and  Dr.  McLean.  Mr.  Clay,  as  usual, 
was  exceetlingly  agreeable,  and  some  of  my  guests  declared  they 
had  never  spent  a  more  agreeable  evening. 

AVednesday,  Dec.  4.  —  The  language  of  the  message  in  relation 
to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  is  even  more  violent  and  intem- 
perate than  could  have  been  anticipated;  and  in  an  important 
State  paper,  which  is  read  with  avidity  in'  all  parts  of  the  world 
where  our  country  and  its  institutions  excite  the  least  interest,  it  is 
undignified,  because  marked  with  strong  personal  feelings  of  hostil- 
ity, and  unjust,  because  it  abounds  in  charges  which  cannot  be 
proved,  either  by  the  President  or  the  unworthy  advisers  who,  influ- 
enced by  paltry  motives  of  pecuniary  interest,  avail  themselves  of 
the  weakness  of  excited  feelings  and  uncompromising  obstinacy  to 
promote  their  own  objects. 

Monday,  Dec.  9. — The  Bank  of  the  United  States  has  pub- 
lished an  elaborate  and  able  report  in  vindication  of  its  measures, 
as  a  reply  to  the  charges  against  it  in  the  report  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury.  It  concludes  with  a  recommendation  of  the 
adoption  of  the  following  resolution  :  "  That  the  removal  of  the 
public  funds  from  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  under  the  circum- 


84  THE   DIARY    OF    I'lIIIJP    IIOXE.  [AitatSS- 

Stances  and  in  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been  effected,  is  a  viola- 
tion of  the  contract  between  the  Government  and  the  Bank ;  and 
that  the  Prcsitlent  be  instructed  to  present  a  memorial  to  Congress 
requesting  that  redress  should  be  afforded  for  the  wrong  which  has 
been  done  to  the  institution." 

Friday,  Dec.  13.  —  The  session  of  Congress  has  commenced  in 
a  stormy  manner,  and  the  President  and  his  out-and-out  supporters 
have  been  assailed  in  both  Houses.  The  opposers  of  the  adminis- 
tration are  bold  and  determined,  and  its  friends  unprepared  to 
stem  the  torrent.  A  resolution  offered  by  Mr.  Clay  in  the  Senate 
to  have  the  standing  committees  appointed  by  ballot  instead  of 
being  nominated  by  the  president  of  the  Senate  (the  Vice-President 
not  having  taken  the  chair)  was  carried  by  a  majority  of  five  or  six. 
This  is  understood  to  be  an  indication  of  the  state  of  parties.  Sev- 
eral questions  have  also  come  up  in  the  House  in  relation  to  the 
removal  of  the  deposits,  the  great  question  which  is  to  agitate  the 
country  to  its  very  centre,  in  which  the  vote  has  been  so  strong  in 
opposition  that  there  must  be  some  awful  quakings  amongst  those 
whose  business  in  Washington  is  to  sanction  all  rescripts  from  the 
seat  of  power  and  the  source  of  patronage.  Of  our  four  repre- 
sentatives. White,  Cambreling,  and  Lawrence  have  taken  the  bit 
kindly  and  drive  very  well ;  but  Selden  shows  a  strong  disposition  to 
restiveness,  and  the  collar  does  not  set  easy  upon  him. 

Saturday,  Dec.  14. —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Edward  R.  Jones. 
Peter  A.  Jay  talks  extremely  well  when  he  has  a  mind,  and  this  day 
he  was  "in  the  vein."  I  do  not  know  when  I  have  been  so  well 
pleased,  and  we  sat  until  ten  o'clock. 

FRroAY,  Dec.  27.  —  The  holidays  are  gloomy;  the  weather  is 
bad  ;  the  times  are  bad  ;  stocks  are  falling ;  and  a  panic  prevails 
which  will  result  in  bankruptcies  and  ruin  in  many  quarters  where, 
a  few  short  weeks  since,  the  sun  of  prosperity  shone  with  unusual 
brightness.     It  will  be  worse  before  it  is  better. 

Monday,  Dec.  30.  —  The  times  are  dreadfully  hard.  The  super- 
erogatory act  of  tyranny  which  the  President  exercised  in  removing 


1833]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  85 

the  deposits  has  produced  a  state  of  alarm  and  panic  unprece- 
dented in  our  city.  The  friends  of  the  United  States  Bank  on  the 
one  side,  and  the  whole  array  of  Jackson  men,  together  with  the 
friends  of  the  Pet  Banks,  on  the  other,  mutually  accuse  each  other 
of  being  the  cause  of  the  pressure ;  and  so  between  them  both,  the 
community  groans  under  the  distress  which  these  misunderstand- 
ings have  created.  "  A  plague  on  both  your  houses  !  "  I  say.  The 
truth  is,  we  are  smarting  under  the  lash  which  the  vindictive  ruler 
of  our  destinies  has  inflicted  upon  us  as  a  penalty  for  the  sin  which 
Nicholas  Biddle  committed  in  opposing  his  election.  My  share  of 
punishment  amounts  to  $20,000,  which  I  have  lost  by  the  fall  of 
stocks  in  the  last  sixty  days.  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Com- 
pany stock  has  fallen  suddenly  from  one  hundred  and  twenty- five 
per  cent,  to  seventy-five  per  cent. ;  Boston  and  Providence  Rail- 
road, from  one  hundred  and  fifteen  per  cent,  to  eighty-eight  per 
cent. ;  Camden  and  Amboy,  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  per  cent, 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  per  cent.  Delaware  and  Hudson 
fell  twenty  per  cent,  in  two  days,  owing  principally  to  the  foilure 
of  Shipman  &  Corning,  brokers,  who  have  been  gambling  in  the 
stock,  and  being  caught  with  heavy  contracts  when  the  fall  took 
place,  were  unable  to  fulfil  them,  and  a  great  amount  of  hypothet- 
icated  stock  was  thrown  at  once  in  the  market.  The  removal  of 
the  deposits  I  believe  to  be  the  great  cause  of  the  pecuniary  dis- 
tress, to  which  may  be  added  the  operation  of  cash  duties  on  wool- 
lens, which  brings  a  large  amount  of  payments  into  the  Treasury. 
The  gambling  in  stocks  which  has  been  carried  on  by  the  brokers 
to  an  extent  disgraceful  to  the  commercial  character  of  the  city  is 
another  cause  of  the  distress.  It  consists  in  selling  out  stocks 
ahead,  as  it  is  called,  where  a  man  buys  and  sells  to  the  amount  of 
millions,  without  owning  a  dollar  of  the  stock,  betting  it  will  fall, 
and  then  taking  pains  by  every  kind  of  lying  and  chicanery  to 
injure  the  reputation  of  the  stock  that  he  may  win.  This,  the 
good  sense  of  the  merchants,  aided  by  the  endeavours  of  the  hon- 
ourable part  of  the  brokers,  may  remedy  in  time,  and  the  effect  of 


86  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  53. 

doMble  engagements  at  the  Custom- House  will  soon  end,  for  the 
old  bonds  are  nearly  run  out.  But  the  great  cause  of  the  evil,  the 
opposition  of  General  Jackson  to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States, 
admits  no  ray  of  hope.  He  has  said  it.  He  takes  the  responsi- 
bility. His  flatterers,  the  sycophants  who  crawl  beneath  his  feet, 
impose  upon  his  weakness  and  flatter  his  vanity ;  they  persuade  him 
that  his  obstinacy  is  firmness,  and  his  vengeance  Roman  dignity. 

Tuesday,  Dec.  31.  —  The  year  1833  commenced  with  brilliant 
prospects  of  national  prosperity  and  individual  happiness,  and 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  year  those  prospects  continued 
unchanged,  and  the  fair  expectations  of  those  who  were  reasonably 
sanguine  appeared  likely  to  be  realized.  The  merchants  were 
doing  a  good  and  profitable  business,  and  the  bounty  of  Providence, 
which  gave  plentiful  crops  to  the  farmer,  and  the  state  of  foreign 
and  domestic  commerce, .which  afforded  him  a  good  and  certain 
market,  enriched  the  country  and  enabled  the  merchants  in  other 
States  to  meet  their  New  York  engagements  with  punctuality. 
Real  estate  increased  in  value,  money  was  as  plenty  as  it  ought  to 
be,  and  the  improvement  of  the  city  kept  pace  with  the  enterprise 
and  resources  of  the  citizens.  But  the  change  is  melancholy,  and 
has  fallen  upon  us  so  suddenly  that  men  feel  the  blow  and  know 
not  whence  it  comes.  Public  confidence  is  shaken,  personal 
property  has  no  fixed  value,  and  sauve  qui  pent  is  the  maxim  of 
the  day.  Never  in  any  year  did  the  31st  of  December  fail  so  com- 
pletely to  redeem  the  pledges  of  the  i  st  of  January. 


1834-]  THE   DIARY   OP^   PHILIP   HONE.  8/ 


1834- 


TANUARY  I .  —  The  year  commences  with  a  beautiful,  mild,  sun- 
*^  shiny  day.  May  it  prove  ominous  of  a  dispersion  of  the  politi- 
cal clouds  which  hang  over  the  country,  and  of  the  cheerfulness 
which  will  result  from  a  restoration  of  confidence  among  our 
citizens  and  a  return  of  good  times  ! 

Wednesday,  Ja\.  8.  — Anniversary  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans. 
It  was  a  proud  day  for  America,  and  the  chief  who  then  "  plucked 
up  the  drowning  honour  of  the  nation  by  the  locks,"  well  deserved 
the  gratitude  of  the  people.  But,  alas,  how  has  he  been  overpaid, 
and  at  what  a  sacrifice  have  they  rewarded  his  services  !  Any  arm 
which  has  strength  enough  to  wield  a  hammer  and  an  axe  may 
destroy  the  most  beautiful  work  of  a  Phidias  or  a  Michael  Angelo ; 
but  where  is  the  artist  who  can  restore  its  desecrated  remains  to 
their  original  beauty,  and  where  the  power  which  can  bid  the  deli- 
cate machinery  of  individual  credit  and  public  confidence  to  resume 
its  harmonious  functions  when  once  deranged  and  put  out  of  tune 
by  the  hands  of  ignorance  and  misdirected  power  ? 

Tuesday,  Jan.  21.  —  The  commercial  distress  caused  by  the  de- 
rangement of  the  relations  between  the  Government  and  the  Bank 
of  the  United  States  does  not  appear  to  be  alleviated.  On  the 
contrary,  the  sacrifices  which  are  necessary  to  support  individual 
credit  are  becoming  more  oppressive,  and  there  seems  to  be  no 
quarter  of  the  political  horizon  to  which  men  are  to  look  for  a  ray 
of  sunshine.  In  both  Houses  of  Congress  the  all-absorbing  topic 
of  the  removal  of  the  deposits  occupies  the  time,  and  the  members 
on  both  sides  of  the  question  seem  determined  to  have  their  talk 
out.  Mr.  Webster  stands  on  ground  of  his  own.  He  belongs  to 
none  of  the  political  parties,  —  the  friend  of  his  country  and  the 
supporter  of  the  Constitution.     As  chairman  of  the  Committee  of 


88  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

Finance,  he  is  preparing  to  come  out  with  a  report  from  which  much 
is  expected.  His  chance  of  success  in  any  measure  to  settle  the 
present  difficulty  is  better  than  that  of  any  other  man,  from  the 
nature  of  his  position.  It  is  not  impossible  that  he  may  enjoy 
the  triumph  of  saving  his  country.  Mr.  Clay  had  that  triumph 
last  season ;  the  effect  of  his  compromise  of  the  tariff  question  is 
now  apparent  and  acknowledged  by  all.  For  if  that  question  had 
been  left  unsettled  and  suffered  to  mix  with  those  other  subjects 
which  agitate  the  public  mind  and  fill  the  hearts  of  good  men  with 
alarm  for  the  future,  it  is  impossible  to  say  what  would  have  been 
the  consequences.  But  Mr.  Clay  can  do  nothing  now ;  the  bitter 
feeling  of  animosity  which  the  President  entertains  toward  that 
patriot  forbids  the  possibility  of  his  exercising  any  influence  over 
the  minds  of  the  party  which  constitutes  the  majority  in  the  lower 
House.  Mr.  Webster  may  succeed  better.  He  does  not  stand  so 
much  in  the  way,  and  they  may  not  be  unwilling  to  adopt  with 
him  some  terms  of  compromise.  Of  one  thing  we  may  be  certain, 
—  that  the  honour  of  the  country  and  the  security  of  its  institutions 
are  safe  in  his  hands. 

Wednesday,  Jan.  22.  —  The  memorial  to  Congress,  adopted  at 
the  meeting  on  Saturday,  has  received  three  thousand  signatures, 
embracing  nearly  all  the  respectable  merchants  ;  and  a  meeting  was 
called  at  the  same  place.  No.  40  William  street,  but  the  numbers 
were  so  great  that  the  meeting  adjourned  to  the  Exchange.  Jona- 
than Goodhue  was  chairman,  and  John  P.  Stagg,  secretary.  The 
following  gentlemen  were  appointed  delegates  to  proceed  with  the 
memorial  to  Washington  :  James  G.  King,  D.  W.  C.  Ol3-phant, 
James  Boorman,  George  S.  Robbins,  Pelatiah  Perit,  John  Crumby, 
Sam.  S.  Howland,  James  W.  Otis,  Charles  H.  Russell,  Robert  C. 
Cornell,  John  A.  Stephens,  and  G.  P.  Disosway. 

Thursday,   J.\n.  23.  —  This  was  the  most   brilliant 

Part   ^^  ^        affair   we  have    seen  in  a  long  time.      "  ]Mr.    Ray  at 

home,     Thursday,     23d     inst.        Quadrilles     at     nine 

o'clock."     The  very  cards  gave  promise  of  quehiue  chose  distin- 


CX  n  fevo-^Vi-^M 


1834-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  89 

gi/cc.  The  fashionable  world  rushed  with  excited  expectation  to 
the  gay  scene,  and  none  were  disappointed,  Mr.  Ray  has  the 
finest  house  in  New  York,  and  it  is  furnished  and  fitted  up  in  a 
style  of  the  utmost  magnificence,  —  painted  ceilings,  gilded  mould- 
ings, rich  satin  ottomans,  curtains  in  the  last  Parisian  taste,  and 
splendid  mirrors  which  reflect  and  multiply  all  the  7-ays,  great  and 
small. 

On  this  occasion  all  the  science  of  all  the  accomplished  artistes 
was  put  in  requisition ;  decorators,  cooks,  and  confectioners  vied 
with  each  other,  and  each  in  his  vocation  seemed  to  have  produced 
the  ne  plus  ultra  ;  and,  unlike  other  entertainments  of  the  kind, 
the  spirit  of  jealousy  and  emulation  cannot  be  excited  to  an  incon- 
venient degree,  for  as  no  person  possesses  such  a  house,  and  very 
few  the  means  to  show  it  off  in  the  same  style,  it  will  not  be  con- 
sidered incumbent  upon  others  to  attempt  to  rival  this  splendid 
fttc,  and  it  will  be  no  disgrace  to  play  second  fiddle  to  such  a 
leader. 

Tuesday,  Jan.  28.  —  The  strong  expression  of  public  opinion 
which  the  circulation  of  the  memorial  to  Congress  has  called  forth 
occasions  great  alarm  amongst  the  Jackson  men,  and  orders  have 
been  issued  from  the  "  Republican  General  Committee "  at 
Tammany  Hall  for  meetings  to  be  held  in  the  several  wards 
to-morrow  evening  and  a  general  meeting  on  Thursday  evening, 
not  of  citizens  interested  in  the  momentous  question  which 
occupies  every  mind,  but  of  the  Jackson  party,  who  are  to 
approve  all  that  has  been,  or  may  be,  done.  The  sufferings  of 
the  merchants  from  present  evils,  and  the  fearful  apprehensions 
of  the  future,  are  of  no  moment  compared  to  the  preservation  of 
party  discipline.  Many  of  the  President's  political  friends  regret 
the  ill-advised  and  rash  step  which  he  took  in  removing  the 
deposits,  but  they  dare  not  advise  him  to  make  the  only  amends 
in  his  power,  by  retracing  it.  The  pressure  increases.  Stocks  fall 
every  day;  Delaware  and  Hudson  sold  to-day  at  sixty-eight  per 
cent. ;   Boston  and   Providence   Railroad,  eighty-three   per  cent. ; 


90  THE   DIARY   OF   miLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

Mohawk  and  Hudson,  about  the  same.  It  was  worth  once,  one 
hundred  and  ninety  per  cent.  I  believe  Cambreling  sold  out  at 
that,  and  now  he  is  one  of  the  set  who  laugh  at  our  misfortunes, 
and  refuse  to  take  those  measures  for  our  relief  which  are  within 
their  power  as  representatives  of  the  people. 

Wednesday,  J.4N.  29. — The  old  line  of  Liverpool 
Packets.  packcts   Originally   established   by   Isaac   Wright   and 

Francis  Thompson  has  been  sold  out,  and  Goodhue 
&  Co.  are  to  be  the  agents  in  the  future ;  the  house  of  Baring 
&  Co.,  of  London,  is  said  to  be  concerned  in  the  speculation. 
Six  fine  ships  have  been  purchased  for  $216,000,  or  $36,000  each. 
The  establishment  of  this  line  of  packets  and  the  punctuality  with 
which  it  has  been  conducted  served  as  a  pioneer  and  pattern  to 
all  other  lines  which  were  subsequently  established  between  this 
port  and  London,  Liverpool,  Havre,  and  la  Vera  Cruz,  and  has 
contributed  more  than  any  other  cause  to  the  commercial  pros- 
perity of  New  York,  and  her  unrivalled  eminence  among  her 
sister  cities.  The  original  proprietors,  Wright  &  Thompson 
(both  of  whom  are  deceased),  were  well  calculated  for  such  an 
undertaking;  bold  and  enterprising,  they  were  distinguished  for 
habits  of  industry  and  methodical  correctness  in  business,  peculiar 
to  the  religious  sect  (the  Quakers)  of  which  they  were  mem- 
bers ;  and  notwithstanding  the  pecuniary  difficulties  which  one  of 
them,  Mr.  Thompson,  had  to  contend  with,  and  which  terminated 
in  his  failure,  the  line  of  packets  has  been  kept  up  in  its  original  in- 
tegrity, and  its  business  has  been  always  well  conducted  until  now, 
w^hen  it  has  passed  into  other  hands  equally  competent  to  its 
management,  and  possessing  in  a  high  degree  the  confidence  and 
good  opinion  of  the  public. 

Friday,  Feb.  7. — Out  of  forty-six  packet-ships  plying  between 
New  York  and  London,  Liverpool,  and  Havre,  but  two  are  now 
in  port,  both  of  which,  in  the  ordinary  course  of  things,  ought  to 
sail  to-morrow.  Our  latest  advices  from  Liverpool  are  seventy- 
one  days  old,  London  seventy-two,  and  Paris  seventy-five.     This 


i834-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  9 1 

has  never  before  happened  since  the  establishment  of  regular 
lines  of  American  packets,  about  forty  years  ago,  it  is  said,  when 
there  were  only  British  packets  running  between  here  and  Liver- 
pool, one  leaving  each  port  monthly.  It  happened  on  one 
occasion  that  the  packets  for  December,  January,  and  February 
all  arrived  here  on  the  same  day. 

A  public  meeting    having  been  called  by  a  notice 
^^/^  signed   by  many  respectable   names  of  "  the   citizens 

who  are  opposed  to  the  removal  of  the  deposits  from 
the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  and  who  are  in  favour  of  a  sound 
currency  by  means  of  a  national  bank,"  an  immense  concourse 
assembled  at  twelve  o'clock  at  the  place  of  meeting,  —  the  park. 
The  number  is  computed  at  from  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand.  I  was 
waited  upon  by  a  committee  and  requested  to  officiate  as  chair- 
man. When  I  came  on  the  ground,  precisely  at  twelve  o'clock,  I 
found  an  immense  crowd  already  assembled,  consisting  principally 
of  the  most  respectable  mechanics  and  others  in  the  city,  —  men  of 
character,  respectability,  and  personal  worth,  with  a  few  miscreants 
who  went,  perhaps,  of  their  own  accord,  but  were  more  probably 
sent  there  to  excite  disturbance  and  disturb  the  proceedings.  The 
rabble  had  gotten  possession  of  the  chair,  and  it  required  some 
hard  thumps  to  clear  the  way  sufficiently  for  me  to  come  forward. 
I  attempted  to  address  the  meeting,  but  the  yells  of  the  mob,  and 
the  noise  of  better-disposed  persons  in  attempting  to  command 
silence,  rendered  all  my  efforts  unavailing ;  so  I  put  the  question 
upon  the  resolutions,  which  were  carried  by  an  immense  majority, 
and  then  adjourned  the  meeting ;  but  the  mob  did  not  disperse 
for  a  considerable  time  afterward.  This  apparently  organized 
outrage  upon  the  freedom  of  the  citizens  cannot  fail  to  strengthen 
our  cause,  for  they  will  not  consent  to  be  muffled,  and  will  con- 
vince their  rulers  that  public  opinion  means  something  more 
than  the  drilled  voices  of  certain  political  friends  of  General 
Jackson,  who  are  pledged,  body  and  soul,  to  support  him  at  all 
events. 


92  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  54. 

Tuesday,  Feb.   i  i  .  —  The  delegates  who  were   ap- 
AieeUn  pointcd  to  Carry  the  merchants'  memorial  to  Washing- 

ton having  returned,  a  meeting  of  the  signers  was 
called  this  afternoon  at  the  Exchange  to  receive  their  report. 
Such  a  meeting  never  before  assembled  in  New  York.  When  I 
reached  the  spot  at  the  hour  of  meeting,  the  great  room  in  the 
Exchange  with  all  its  avenues,  the  vestibule,  and  the  porch  were 
filled,  and  three  or  four  thousand  persons  occupied  the  street  in 
front,  —  all  firm  and  enthusiastic,  but  orderly  and  decorous  in  the 
extreme.  The  meeting  within  doors  was  organized  precisely  at 
half-past  four  o'clock  by  the  appointment  of  Jonathan  Goodhue 
as  chairman,  and  John  P.  Stagg,  secretary.  The  report  of  the 
delegates,  announcing  the  unsuccessful  result  of  their  mission,  was 
read  by  James  G.  King.  On  motion  of  John  A.  Stevens,  the 
following  resolution  was  adopted  unanimously :  "  That  with  a 
view  to  the  importance  of  combining  mercantile  influence  and 
opinions  for  commercial  and  not  for  party  ends,  and  by  the  exer- 
cise of  this  influence  to  ameliorate  present  distresses  and  to  avert 
future  evils,  that  a  Union  Committee  of  twenty-five  persons  be 
now  appointed,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  confer  with  committees 
of  the  State  and  national  banks,  with  a  view  to  produce  that  entire 
concert  and  harmony  of  action  essential  to  enable  them  to  afford 
the  greatest  possible  relief  to  the  community."  The  following 
persons  were  appointed  and  constitute  the  Union  Committee : 
Albert  Gallatin,  James  G.  King,  Jonathan  Goodhue,  G.  G.  How- 
land,  John  Haggerty,  Nathaniel  Weed,  James  Boorman,  John  W. 
Leavitt,  James  Brown,  David  Lee,  Rufus  L.  Lord,  Fanning  C. 
Tucker,  Isaac  Carow,  Elbert  J.  Anderson,  John  G.  Coster, 
Francis  Olmstead,  Thomas  Brooks,  Charles  H.  Russell,  Herbert 
Van  Wagenen,  E.  G.  Fale,  Joseph  Kernochan,  Philip  Hone, 
John  A.  Stevens,  John  P.  Stagg,  and  D.  W.  C.  Olyphant.  The 
meeting  then  adjourned  into  the  street,  and  the  vast  body  came 
pouring  down  the  principal  avenue  like  a  mighty  rushing  river 
to  mix  with   the  multitudinous   sea  beneath.      The  whole    street 


IS34-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  93 

from  William  street  to  a  distance  below  the  Exchange  was  a  com- 
pact, solid  mass  of  men.  I  was  called  upon  from  all  parts  of  the 
crowd  to  read  the  report  and  resolutions  for  the  benefit  of  the 
out-door  part  of  the  concern,  and  was  placed  in  a  conspicuous 
situation  on  one  of  the  pedestals  at  the  end  of  the  steps  forming 
the  great  entrance.  I  was  received  in  the  most  flattering  manner, 
and  read  them  with  considerable  effect,  notwithstanding  the  dis- 
advantage I  suffered  from  not  having  seen  the  papers  or  heard 
them  read  previously.  I  then  adjourned  the  meeting,  and  the 
great,  the  sublime,  the  intelligent  mass  separated  and  retired  with 
decorum  and  dignity.  Such  an  assemblage  has  never  before  been 
witnessed  in  New  York ;  the  spectacle  from  the  elevation  on 
which  I  stood  was  extremely  imposing,  —  a  solid  mass  of  heads 
with  faces  beaming  with  intelligence,  actuated  by  one  strong 
feeling,  silent,  attentive,  decorous ;  e\'ery  sentiment  was  under- 
stood, every  patriotic  expression  in  the  report  and  resolution 
responded  to  with  feeling  and  retlection.  If  this  is  not  a  public 
opinion,  we  may  look  in  vain  for  it. 

Washington,  Monday,  ]\Iarch  3.  —  Our  party,  with  the  Kembles, 
left  Baltimore  at  seven  o'clock  and  arrived  here  at  three,  and  I  got 
a  good  room  at  Gadsby's,  which  had  been  previously  engaged  for  me 
by  Mr.  Selden.  At  five  o'clock  I  went  to  dine  with  Baron  Behr.  He 
has  the  apartments  formerly  occupied  by  Bankhead,  and  the  cook 
also,  an  artiste  of  the  highest  grade.  The  Colonel  and  I  went  to 
the  theatre  to  see  the  Kembles  in  "  Hamlet ;  "  but  Fanny  Kemble  in 
the  Washington  Theatre  is  like  a  canary-bird  in  a  mouse-trap,  and  I 
soon  came  away  and  went  to  a  delightful  party  at  Mrs.  Tayloe's. 
There  I  met  many  distinguished  people  and  all  the  Washington  belles. 

March  4. —  I  called  this  morning  on  the  Vice-President,  Secre- 
taries McLane,  Cass,  and  Woodbury,  and  several  others.  In  the 
number  was  Sir  Charles  R.  Vaughan,  who,  while  I  was  so  engaged, 
was  at  my  lodgings,  having  with  his  usual  kindness  laid  aside  eti- 
quette, and  called  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  my  being  in  town  to 
engage  me  for  dinner  to-morrow. 


94  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

The  terrible  question  which  agitates  the  whole  country  is  as  for 
as  ever  from  a  happy  termination.  The  late  message  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Pennsylvania,  attributing  the  financial  distress  of  the 
country  to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  has  thrown  all  aback,  for 
better  things  were  expected.  The  President  is  more  obstinate  than 
ever,  and  the  Speaker  (Stevenson),  with  whom  I  had  a  talk  this 
morning,  is  as  subservient  as  the  most  docile  man  at  Tammany 
Hall.  How  is  it  possible  that  a  high-minded  Virginian  like  him 
should  consent  to  administer  to  the  vanity  and  prejudice  of  a  weak, 
unreasonable  old  man?  But  my  friend  wishes  to  go  to  England. 
My  first  visit  this  morning  was  to  Mr.  Clay,  He  says  our  only  hope 
is  in  the  elections  in  our  State  and  Pennsylvania.  Let  them  go  for 
us,  antl  a  sufficient  majority  will  be  found  in  Congress  to  set  things 
right,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  the  greatest  and  best.  Our  only 
rehef  is  in  the  ballot-boxes.     Is  it  not  worth  fighting  for? 

March  5 .  —  I  returned  a  number  of  visits,  walked  up  to  the 
Capitol  with  Mr.  Webster  and  Mr.  Chauncey,  spent  two  or  three 
hours  in  the  two  Houses  (the  ladies  were  too  wise  to  go  in,  but  pur- 
sued their  walk),  and  afterward  went  to  dine  with  Sir  Charles  R. 
Vaughan,  where  we  had  the  Kembles,  Commodore  and  Mrs. 
Chauncey,  De  Behr,  Colonel  McDougal,  etc.  Lynch  dined  with 
us,  but  he  is  on  a  pretty  severe  regimen,  and  looks  poorly. 

March  6.  —  The  proceedings  in  the  House  have  been  more  in- 
teresting to  me  than  heretofore.  I  was  admitted  upon  the  floor,  a 
favour  conferred  so  charily  under  the  present  rules  as  very  much  to 
enhance  its  value.  This  gave  me  a  fine  opportunity  to  converse 
with  all  the  leading  members.  Among  others  I  had  a  long  talk 
about  the  state  of  affairs  with  that  sagacious  man,  John  Quincy 
Adams;  and  if  I  was  not  instructed,  it  was  my  own  fault.  He 
agrees  with  Mr.  Clay  that  our  only  hope  lies  in  the  elections  in 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  particularly  our  charter  election.  I 
heard  Mr.  Webster  argue  a  cause  in  the  Supreme  Court.  I  say 
with  the  fair- Venetian,  "  Would  that  Heaven  had  made  me  such  a 
man  !  "     Mr.  Preston,  the  new  senator  from  South  Carolina,  is  a 


i834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  95 

very  interesting  man.  I  had  along  conversation  with  him  at  Major 
Smith's.  He  is  ardent  and  romantic  like  his  countrymen,  and 
apparently  well  educated  ;  an  eloquent  speaker  (and  saving  the  sin 
of  nullification) ,  a  wise  and  patriotic  statesman. 

March  7.  —  Contrary  to  my  expectation,  this  has  been  a  great 
day  in  the  Senate.  Mr.  Webster  made  a  glorious  speech  on  the 
presentation  of  a  memorial  in  favour  of  the  bank  and  of  a  restora- 
tion of  the  deposits,  and  Mr.  Clay  introduced  the  proceedings  on 
the  same  subject  of  a  meeting  of  mechanics  concerned  in  building 
in  Philadelphia,  in  one  of  the  most  eloquent  appeals  to  the  feelings 
of  his  audience  that  I  have  ever  heard.  It  was  solemn,  energetic, 
and  impressive,  especially  in  that  part  in  which  he  addressed  the 
Vice-President  personally,  and  exhorted  him  to  use  the  influence  he 
possesses  over  the  President  to  persuade  him  to  a  better  course  of 
measures.  "And  if  I  touch  your  heart,"  said  he,  "and  persuade 
you  to  come  to  the  rescue  of  your  suffering  country,  I  shall  merit 
her  gratitude  and  promote  your  glory."  Touch  Mr.  Van  Buren's 
heart,  —  good  !  Mr.  Webster  beckoned  me  out  of  the  Senate  into 
one  of  the  committee- rooms,  where  we  had  more  than  an  hour's  talk. 
He  unburdened  his  mind  fully  on  the  state  of  affairs  and  future 
prospects,  explained  all  that  has  passed,  and  fully  laid  open  his 
future  plans.  He  will  be  in  New  York  in  a  fortnight,  for  one  night, 
when  he  wishes  me  to  convene  a  few  of  our  political  .friends  to 
meet  and  consult  with  him.  His  plans  for  an  extension  of  the 
bank  charter  will  be  laid  before  the  Senate  on  Monday,  where  it 
will .  lie  for  a  fortnight.  He  showed  it  to  me,  and  explained  his 
views  and  expectations  in  relation  to  it.  I  was  exceedingly  flattered 
by  this  mark  of  Mr.  Webster's  confidence,  and  certainly  never 
heard  a  man  talk  so. 

March  8.  —  I  dined  with  the  Vice-President,  where  I  met  a 
large  party  of  officers,  diplomats,  and  members  of  Congress. 

March  9.  —  I  called  for  Mrs.  Webster  this  morning,  and  went 
with  her  to  the  Episcopal  church  on  President's  square,  where 
Rev.  Mr.  Hawley  preached ;  after   which  Commodore  Chauncey 


96  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

and  I  drove  out  to  the  navy  yard,  where  we  made  a  pleasant  visit 
to  Commodore  Hull  and  the  ladies.  The  Commodore  presented 
me  with  a  box  made  from  one  of  the  original  live-oak  timbers  of 
the  frigate  "  Constitution."  I  dined  with  Judge  Wayne  and  Mr. 
Cambreling,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  the  evening  with  Mr. 
Clay. 

New  York,  March  15.  —  The  President  has  renominated  to 
the  Senate  the  Government  directors  of  the  Bank  of  the  United 
States  whom  they  rejected  the  other  day,  with  a  threat,  it  is  said, 
that  he  will  appeal  to  the  people  if  their  nomination  is  not  con- 
firmed. It  is  difficult  to  tell  what  this  means,  but  his  hostility 
against  the  Senate  will  lead  him  into  some  extravagant  acts  of  rage, 
which  he  relies  upon  his  popularity  to  bear  him  out  of.  Selden 
has  returned  to  Washington.  He  was  received  by  the  merchants 
at  the  Exchange  with  cheers  and  other  marks  of  their  approval  of 
his  conduct,  Mr.  Biddle  returned  yesterday  to  Philadelphia. 
Crowds  of  people  followed  him  in  Wall  street,  to  gaze  upon  the 
man  who  has  been  made  conspicuous  by  the  unrelenting  hostility 
of  President  Jackson.  The  merchants,  however,  expressed  their 
approbation  of  his  course  by  applause  similar  to  that  which  they 
gave  to  Mr.  Selden. 

March  18.  —  Washington  Irving  acquainted  me  with  a  circum- 
stance to-day  which  occasions  me  the  deepest  regret.  Stuart 
Newton,  the  eminent  painter,  his  friend  and  mine,  was,  at  the  last 
accounts  from  London,  a  lunatic  confined  in  a  mad-house.  His 
poor  wife,  the  former  lovely  Miss  Sullivan,  with  her  child  is  in  the 
greatest  possible  distress,  and  has  written  to  her  father  to  come  out 
and  bring  her  home  when  death  shall  have  closed  her  husband's 
unhappy  calamity.  I  am  told  there  is  a  taint  of  madness  in 
Newton's  family;  his  uncle,  Gilbert  Stuart,  the  great  portrait 
painter,  had  the  character  of  a  very  eccentric  man,  at  least.  It  is 
melancholy  to  observe  how  slight  is  the  division  line  between  the 
higher  order  of  genius  and  the  loss  of  intellect.  Stupidity  is  a  com- 
fortable quality ;  men  grow  rich  and  fat  and  easy  under  it ;   they 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF  PHILIP   HONE.  97 

live  out  their  days,  and  sleep  sound  at  night,  and  do  not  scorch 
their  brains  by  soaring  into  the  bright  regions  of  imagination.  I  saw 
Weir  afterward,  who  told  me  that  he  has  heard  that  Newton  is  dead. 
March  19.  —  The  Committee  of  National  Republicans  ap- 
pointed to  nominate  a  mayor  met  last  evening,  and  nominated  for 
that  office  Gulian  C.  Verplanck.  This  gentleman  was  ousted  from 
his  seat  in  Congress  by  the  Jackson  party,  because  he  would  not 
go  all  lengths  in  his  opposition  to  the  United  States  Bank.  In  that 
point  of  view  he  is  a  good  candidate,  and  his  success  will  be  a 
triumph  for  the  bank  party  ;  but  I  do  not  think  him  a  popular  man, 
or  by  any  means  well  qualified  for  the  office.  He  is  not  a  prac- 
tical man ;  learned  he  certainly  is,  and  an  able  \vriter  on  subjects 
connected  with  belles-lettres  and  the  fine  arts ;  but  he  knows  little 
of  mankind,  and  his  political  course  has  been  unsteady  as  the 
wind.  Still  he  must  be  supported.  The  Tammany  men  have  sent 
a  deputation  to  Albany  to  obtain  Charles  L.  Livingston's  consent 
to  nm  as  their  candidate  for  the  mayoralty.  He  is  more  suited  for 
the  office,  and  if  he  had  not  committed  himself  againt  his  judg- 
ment in  the  approval  of  the  ruinous  course  of  measures  pursued 
by  the  administration  in  relation  to  the  bank,  I  would  have  sup- 
ported him  with  all  my  heart.  As  it  is,  I  shall  have  to  make  some 
sacrifice  of  feeling  in  voting  for  Mr.  Verplanck  against  him.  But 
it  cannot  be  helped ;  the  salvation  of  the  country  depends  in  a 
great  measure  upon  the  defeat  of  the  Jackson  party  in  the  struggle 
which  will  come  on  next  month,  and  personal  predilections  must 
give  way  to  the  public  good. 

March   21.  —  Mr.  Livingston  refuses,   it  is  under- 
stood, to  run  as  mayor.     Mr.  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence 

Mayor.  '  ■' 

has  been  applied  to,  and  consents  to  run  as  the  candi- 
date of  the  Jackson  or  Tammany  party.  This  is  a  bold  measure 
on  the  part  of  the  Jackson  men.  Mr.  Lawrence  is  now  their 
congressman,  and  circumstances  have  placed  him  on  prominent 
ground  as  an  opposer  of  the  bank  and  supporter  of  the  meas- 
ures of  the  administration  (against  his  conscience,  as  I  believe  on 


98  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

mine) .  He  has  been  vilified  by  the  delegates  of  the  merchants 
for  refusing  to  present  their  memorial,  and  his  name  has  been 
hissed  when  it  occurred  in  their  report.  He  is  most  heartily  sick 
of  his  present  situation,  but  he  is  compelled  by  his  party  to  accept 
the  nomination  of  mayor.  This  will  be  a  fair  trial  of.  the  issue, 
—  Mr.  Lawrence,  the  man  who  has  for  the  sake  of  party  proved 
recreant  to  the  interests  of  the  merchants,  of  which  profession 
he  is  a  member,  on  the  one  side,  and  Mr.  Verplanck,  who  lost 
his  seat  in  Congress  because  he  would  not  pursue  the  same  course, 
on  the  other.  The  personal  characters  of  both  these  gentlemen 
are  irreproachable.  Verplanck  at  first  declined  the  nomination, 
but  it  is  now  understood  that  he  consents  to  serve. 

March  25.  —  I  availed  myself  of  a  regular  rainy  day  to  stay  at 
home  and  prepare  books  for  binding  and  file  my  letters.  Such  a 
day  once  in  a  while  is  a  jewel  beyond  price. 

April  2.  —  Politics  occupy  all  my  time.  Mr.  Webster  wrote  me 
from  Washington  that  he  would  be  in  New  York  this  afternoon  on 
his  way  to  Boston,  and  agreeably  to  his  suggestion  when  I  saw  him 
in  Washington,  I  invited  a  number  of  our  political  friends  to  meet 
him  at  my  house.  James  G.  King,  G.  G.  Howland,  Giraud,  and 
Isaac  dined  with  us  at  three  o'clock ;  at  four  Mr.  Webster  arrived, 
and  found  the  following  gentlemen  assembled  to  receive  him : 
Jonathan  Goodhue,  Samuel  Ward,  James  G.  King,  Charles  H. 
Russell,  David  B.  Ogden,  John  A.  Stevens,  Joseph  Hoxie,  Jacob  P. 
Giraud,  George  F.  Talman,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  G.  G.  Howland,  David 
S.  Jones,  A.  Chandler,  Samuel  Stevens,  Charles  King,  Hugh  Max- 
well, John  W.  Leavitt,  Philip  W.  Engs,  and  George  Zabriskie. 
We  had  a  full,  free,  and  interesting  conversation,  in  which  the 
great  Massachusetts  senator  detailed  all  his  operations  during  the 
session,  and  confirmed  in  the  most  emphatic  manner  the  declara- 
tion which  he  made  to  me  at  Washington,  that  the  hopes  of  our 
friends  there  to  bring  about  a  favourable  change  in  the  affairs  of  the 
country  rely  mainly  upon  the  success  of  the  great  struggle  which 
is  to  take  place  in  New  York  next  week. 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  99 

April  3.  —  Mr.  Webster  left  New  York  for  Boston  at  five 
o'clock  this  afternoon ;  the  wharf  near  the  steamboat  was  crowded 
with  people,  who  saluted  him  with  repeated  cheers.  Thousands 
pressed  forward  for  a  sight  of  the  defender  of  the  people's  rights 
and  the  supporter  of  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  country. 

April  4.  —  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor  arrived  yesterday  in  the 
packet-ship  "  Utica  "  from  Havre.  The  news  of  his  wife's  death 
will  be  the  first  to  meet  him.  He  comes  in  time  to  witness  the 
pulling  down  of  the  block  of  houses  next  to  that  on  which  I  live, 
—  the  whole  front  from  Barclay  to  Vesey  street,  on  Broadway,  — 
where  he  is  going  to  erect  a  New  York  palais  royal,  which  will 
cost  him  fiv-e  or  six  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Tuesday,  April  8.  —  The  election  for  mayor  and  charter  officers 
commenced  this  day  with  a  degree  of  spirit  and  zeal  in  both  par- 
ties never  before  witnessed.  This  is  the  first  election  for  mayor 
by  the  people  since  the  new  law,  and  has  acquired  immense  im- 
portance, since  it  is  considered  a  test  of  the  appro\-al  or  disap- 
proval of  the  people  of  New  York  of  the  arbitrary  and  unconstitu- 
tional measures  of  the  President  and  his  advisers,  and  as  it  \vill 
influence  the  politics  of  the  State  in  the  more  important  elections 
next  fall.  The  number  of  votes  will  be  very  great  (probably  thirty- 
five  thousand)  ;  the  Whig  party,  whose  candidate  for  mayor  is  Mr. 
Verplanck,  are  active,  zealous,  and  confident  of  success.  A  great 
meeting  was  held  yesterday  at  four  o'clock,  at  the  Exchange,  at 
which  Benjamin  Strong  presided,  and  John  W.  Leavitt  and 
Edmund  Penfold  were  secretaries.  The  meeting  was  addressed  by 
John  A.  Stevens,  George  W.  Bruen,  James  G.  King,  Charles  H. 
Russell,  and  Chandler  Starr,  and  several  resolutions  were  passed, 
one  of  which  recommends  to  the  merchants  and  traders  to  omit 
their  usual  attendance  at  the  Exchange,  and  to  close  their  stores 
and  places  of  business  at  noon  on  each  of  the  three  days  of  the 
election,  in  order  to  devote  their  undivided  attention  to  the  great 
business  pf  reform  at  the  polls.  This  last  suggestion  has  been  in 
part  obser\-e(l ;  many  stores  are    closed  to-day,  and  several  have 


lOO  THE   DIARY    OF   I'lllLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  54. 

notices  on  the  doors  that  the  inmates  are  gone  to  the  polls  to  vote 
for  Verplanck.  A  very  large  meeting  was  also  held  last  evening  of 
adopted  citizens  at  Masonic  Hall  to  approve  the  course  of  Dr. 
MacNeven  in  joining  our  party.  After  the  meeting  adjourned  they 
went  to  his  house  and  cheered  him,  and  he  addressed  them,  wish- 
ing the  party  success.  They  came  also  before  piy  door  and  gave 
me  some  hearty  huzzas,  but  I  was  unfortunately  absent,  having 
gone  to  the  theatre  with  my  girls  and  Miss  Kane.  My  wife  was 
alarmed  at  the  row,  as  I  had  a  visit  of  another  kind  a  few  evenings 
since  from  a  party  of  the  retainers  of  Tammany  Hall,  and  she  was 
not  able  in  her  fright  to  distinguish  between  the  shouts  of  enemies 
and  the  cheers  of  friends. 

Thursday,  April  10.  —  Last  day  of  the  election;  dreadful  riots 
between  the  Irish  and  the  Americans  have  again  disturbed  the  pub- 
lic peace.  The  Mayor  arrived  with  a  strong  body  of  watchmen, 
but  they  were  attacked  and  overcome,  and  many  of  the  watchmen 
are  severely  wounded.  Eight  of  them  were  carried  to  the  hospital, 
where  I  went  to  visit  them.  The  Mayor  has  ordered  out  Colonel 
Sanford's  regiment  and  a  troop  of  horse,  and  proper  measures  have 
been  taken  to  preserve  order,  but  we  apprehend  a  dreadful  night. 
This  outrage  has  been  instigated  by  a  few  men  in  the  sixth  ward, 
—  George  D.  Strong,  Abraham  LeRoy,  Dr.  Rhinelander,  Preserved 
Fish,  and  a  few  like  him.     Let  them  answer  for  it. 

Friday,  April  i  i  .  —  Such  an  excitement !  So  wonderful  is  the 
result  of  this  election  that  all  New  York  has  been  kept  in  a  state  of 
alarm ;  immense  crowds  have  been  collected  at  Masonic  and  Tam- 
many Halls,  but  the  greatest  concourse  was  in  front  of  the 
Exchange.  The  street  was  a  dense  mass  of  people.  Partial 
returns  were  coming  in  every  few  minutes,  and  so  close  has  been 
the  vote  that  the  Whigs  at  the  Exchange  and  the  small  party  for 
Jackson  in  front  of  the  office  of  the  "  Standard  "  opposite  shouted 
alternately  as  the  news  was  favourable  to  one  or  the  other ;  and  up  to 
the  last  moment  the  result  was  doubtful,  when,  at  the  close  of  the 
canvass,  the  majority  for  Mr.  Lawrence,  the  Jackson  candidate,  out 


I834-]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   IIOXE.  lOI 

of  the  immense  number  of  votes?  —  thirty-five  thousand  one  hundred 
and  forty-one — was  found  to  be  one  hundred  and  seventy- nine. 
There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  we  have  elected  a  majority  of 
aldermen  and  assistants.  The  Common  Council  is  reformed,  and 
we  shall  succeed  in  the  great  fall  election.  It  is  a  signal  triumph 
of  good  principles  over  violence,  illegal  voting,  party  discipline,  and 
the  influence  of  office-holders. 

April  12.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us,  all  Whigs, 
and  most  of  them  active  men  in  the  late  contest ;  it  was  a  feast 
of  triumph  for  the  result  of  the  election,  and  we  drank  success  to 
the  cause  in  the  best  wine  I  had  to  give  them  :  Francis  Granger, 
John  Greig,  Bryant  P.  Tilden,  of  Boston,  who  has  just  arrived  from 
Canton,  Sydney  Brooks,  William  H.  Aspinwall,  Simeon  Draper, 
Jr.,  Charles  King,  Charles  H.  Hammond,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  Charles 
H.  Russell,  and  James  Monroe. 

April  15.  —  This  was  the  day  of  the  great  fete  at  Castle  Gar- 
den to  celebrate  the  triumph  gained  by  the  Whig  party  in  the  late 
charter  election  in  this  city,  and  it  went  off  gloriously.  Tens  of 
thousands  of  freemen,  full  of  zeal  and  patriotism,  filled  the  area 
of  the  castle ;  every  inch  of  ground  was  occupied.  Tables  were 
spread  in  a  double  row  within  the  outer  circumference  ;  three  pipes 
of  wine  and  forty  barrels  of  beer  were  placed  in  the  centre  under 
an  a\vning,  and  served  out  during  the  repast.  Many  speeches 
were  made,  regular  and  volunteer  toasts  were  drunk,  and  the  beau- 
tiful little  frigate  "  Constitution,"  which  has  borne  so  conspicuous 
a  station  in  the  late  struggle,  was  placed  upon  the  top  of  the  build- 
ing which  forms  the  entrance  to  the  garden,  from  which  she  fired 
a  salute  during  the/r/d'.  All  was  enthusiasm,  and  the  shouts  from 
time  to  time  rent  the  air.  But  on  a  signal  given  the  immense 
concourse  broke  up  in  good  order,  and  no  excess  or  rioting 
marred  the  pleasure  of  the  day.  Six  or  eight  thousand  men 
formed  a  procession,  and  marched  off  the  Battery,  preceded  by  a 
band  of  music.  Of  these,  a  large  number  went  into  Greenwich 
street.     Having   learned  that  Mr,  Webster  (who  had  declined  the 


I02  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

invitation  of  the  committee  to  unitIS  in  the  celebration  at  Castle 
Garden)  was  on  a  visit  to  Mrs.  Edgar,  they  formed  in  a  solid  body 
before  the  house,  and  called  for  him.  He  made  his  appearance 
at  one  of  the  windows,  and  was  received  with  shouts  that  rent  the 
air.  I  was  admitted  through  the  basement,  and  having  passed 
through  the  kitchen,  came  into  the  front  room  as  Mr.  Webster 
began  to  address  the  multitude.  His  address  was  full  of  fire,  and 
was  received  with  rapturous  shouts.  After  he  retired,  he  was 
called  again,  and  spoke  a  few  words  more,  when  the  mighty  mass 
moved  off  as  they  came,  with  order  and  propriety.  I  walked  up 
with  him  as  far  as  my  house.  He  was  engaged  to  sup  with  Mr. 
Samuel  Stevens,  where  I  was  also  invited,  but  did  not  go. 

April  16. — Giraud  and  I  started  this  morning 
Excurs^ion  ^^  ^  fishing  cxcursioH  to  Long  Island.  We  dined 
at  Timothy  Carman's,  where  we  met  John  Suydam, 
Garrit  Storm,  Edmund  Smith,  and  Augustus  Wynkoop.  We  went 
on  to  Snedecor's  after  dinner,  where  we  found  the  house  so 
full  that  if  we  had  not  taken  the  precaution  to  write  in  advance  for 
beds,  we  might  have  lain  on  the  floor.  There  was  Hamilton 
Wilkes,  William  E.  Laight,  Mr.  Kortright,  Thomas  Morris,  Clinton 
Norton,  and  several  others,  some  of  whom  were  on  their  return 
from  the  Fire-place.  The  weather  was  fine,  with  southerly  wind  — 
a  good  prospect  for  fishing. 

We  came  to  Sam  Carman's  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  took  a  good 
mess  of  trout.  Mr.  Suydam  and  Mr.  Storm  came  to  dine  with  us, 
Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  Wynkoop  having  gone  down  to  the  bay  brant- 
shooting.  They  returned  to  Patchogue  after  dinner ;  easterly 
wind  and  cold,  but  the  fish  are  plenty. 

Saturday.  —  Cloudy  weather  and  rain  part  of  the  morning  and 
a  severe  thunder-storm  in  the  afternoon.  Giraud  and  I  went  down 
the  creek  with  Joe  in  the  boat  to  fisli,  and  I  took  some  of  the 
largest  trout  I  ever  saw.  One  weighed  two  pounds  seven  ounces, 
and  one  two  pounds.  Joe  Carman  took  the  largest,  weighing  two 
pounds  twelve   ounces.     They  were  a  beautiful  sight.     We  have 


I834-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  103 

been  rather  unfortunate  in  weather,  but  I  have  never  seen  the  fish 
so  fine  and  so  plentiful. 

Wednesday,  April  23.  —  What  a  pile  of  news- 
At  Home.  papers  to  read  and  what  a  bundle  of  letters  to  answer, 
and  how  much  news  to  record  in  this  journal  !  The 
Whigs  of  rhiladclphia  hatl  a  grand  celebration  yesterday  at 
Powelton  on  the  Schuylkill  of  our  late  victory.  Philadelphia  is 
not  the  only  city  which  has  celebrated  our  victory.  The  Whigs 
of  Albany  fired  one  hundred  guns.  Buffalo  made  a  great  affair  of 
it  with  guns  and  illuminations.  Portsmouth,  N.H.,  received  the 
news  with  one  hundred  guns,  had  a  town-meeting,  and  made 
speeches.  There  was  also  a  grand  affair  at  Goshen,  which 
brought  all  Orange  County  together.  Baltimore  is  making  prep- 
arations. 

Mr.  Leslie,  the  painter,  sailed  for  England  on  Wednesday, 
having  resigned  the  office  of  professor  of  drawing  in  the  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point.  On  the  evening  before  his  departure 
he  met  a  large  party  of  artists  and  literary  gentlemen,  at  the  rooms 
of  the  Academy  of  Design.  I  was  invited^  but  it  was  the  evening 
of  the  day  on  which  I  left  town.  Weir  is  an  applicant  for  the 
office  which  Leslie  has  left.  I  wrote  in  his  behalf  to  the  Secretary 
of  War,  who  replied  to  me  in  the  most  frank  manner,  that  if  the 
place  became  vacant  Mr.  ^Veir  should  have  the  appointment. 

May  I.  —  Mr.  Astor  commenced  this  morning  the  demolition 
of  the  valuable  buildings  on  the  block  fronting  Broadway  from 
Barclay  to  Vesey  street,  on  which  ground  his  great  hotel  is  to  be 
erected.  The  dust  and  rubbish  will  be  almost  intolerable ;  but 
the  estabUshment  will  be  a  great  public  advantage,  and  the 
edifice  an  ornament  to  the  city,  and  for  centuries  to  come  will 
serve,  as  it  was  probably  intended,  as  a  monument  of  its  wealthy 
proprietor.  T  am  sorry  to  observe  since  Mr.  Astor's  return  from 
Europe  that  his  health  is  declining.  He  appears  sickly  and 
feeble,  and  I  have  some  doubt  if  he  will  live  to  witness  the  com- 
pletion of  his  splendid  edifice. 


104  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  54. 

May  12.  —  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence,  the  mayor-elect,  made  his 
triumphal  entry  on  Saturday.  The  Tammany  party  determined  to 
make  the  most  of  the  little  they  gained  in  the  late  charter 
election,  mustered  all  their  forces,  hired  a  steamboat,  and  went 
down  to  Amboy,  where  they  received  their  mayor,  elected  by  a 
majority  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  out  of  thirty-five 
thousand  votes,  with  colours  flying  and  loud  huzzas ;  had  a  dinner 
on  board,  when  Jackson  toasts  were  drunk  and  Jackson  speeches 
made ;  and  on  his  landing  at  Castle  Garden  he  was  placed  in  a 
barouche  with  four  white  horses,  and  attended  by  Walter  Bowne, 
Stephen  Allen,  Preserved  Fish,  and  two  or  three  hundred  of  their 
followers,  paraded  through  the  streets.  I  pity  poor  Lawrence 
sincerely.  He  is  not  suited  to  such  things,  and  will  not  be  suited 
to  the  office  into  which  they  are  about  to  thrust  him.  He  was 
uncomfortable  in  his  seat  in  Congress :  there  was  (as  my  late 
venerable  friend  Dr.  Stanford  once  told  me)  a  pin  in  the  cushion  ; 
but  he  will  find  pins  and  thorns  enough  in  that  which  he  is 
to  assume  to-morrow,  and  I  am  mistaken  in  the  man  if  lie  will  not 
consider  the  shouts  of  a  set  of  mere  party  demagogues  a  poor 
compensation  for  the  forfeiture  of  the  good  opinion  of  that 
part  of  his  fellow-citizens  with  whom  he  has  hitherto  associated. 

May  13.  — The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  :  Lord  Pow- 
erscourt,  Jacob  Harvey,  Mr.  Parnell,  George  Barclay,  Captain 
Campbell,  John  Laurie,  Capt.  H.  Hamilton,  Henry  Cary.  Lord 
Powerscourt,  who  has  just  arrived  in  the  United  States,  is  a  young 
Irish  lord  only  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  appears  to  be  modest 
and  intelligent.  We  were  much  pleased  with  him  at  dinner.  His 
travelling  companion,  Mr.  Parnell,  also  a  young  man,  is  a  nephew 
of  Sir  Henry  Parnell. 

ISIay  15.  —  The  unsightly  wooden  railings  in  the  park  have  been 
removed  and  chestnut  posts  erected  in  their  place,  from  which  iron 
chains  are  to  be  appended,  which  will  improve  the  prospect  from 
my  house.  Mr.  Astor's  buildings  are  nearly  all  removed  ;  the  dust 
from  the  immense  mass  of  rubbish  has  been  almost  intolerable  for 


1S34]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  105 

the  last  fortnight,  and  tlie  crowds  who  promenade  Broadway  are 
compelled,  like  many  of  the  politicians  of  the  present  day,  to 
change  sides,  with  this  difference,  that  the  one  comes  over  to  my 
side  and  the  other  leaves  it. 

May  20,  —  Something  in  Major  Downing's  style.  Two  or  three 
of  us  were  talking  together  yesterday  morning  on  board  the  steam- 
boat and,  as  is  the  fashion  now-a-days,  abusing  General  Jackson, 
and  marvelling  at  the  undeserved  popularity  which  he  still  enjoys 
in  some  parts  of  our  country,  when  the  subject  was  illustrated  by 
Colonel  Worth  in  the  following  story :  On  the  arrival  of  the  stage 
in  one  of  the  towns  in  the  interior  of  Pennsylvania,  during  the 
President's  far-famed  journey  to  the  East,  the  crowd  assembled  in 
the  bar-room  of  the  tavern  collected  around  the  driver  with  the 
usual  inquiry,  "What  news?"  —  "Why,  haven't  you  heard?"  said 
the  waggish  driver.  "  The  General  made  his  grand  entry  into  Phila- 
delphia yesterday  in  a  barouche  drawn  by  four  gray  horses ;  and 
the  crowd  pressing  around  him  so  as  to  obstruct  his  progress,  he 
just  stepped  out  of  the  carriage,  drew  his  sword,  and  run  one  fellow 
clean  through  the  body."  —  "The  darned  fool,"  exclaimed  one  of 
the  auditors,  "  why  didn't  he  stand  out  of  the  General's  way  !  " 

May  31. —  Having  been  invited  with  a  number  of  the  stock- 
holders of  the  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  Company  to  attend 
the  opening  of  a  part  of  the  road  and  the  meeting  for  the  election 
of  directors  on  Wednesday,  I  availed  myself  of  the  occasion  to 
carry  into  effect  an  excursion  to  New  Hampshire,  Maine,  and  the 
White  Hills.  I  brought  with  me  my  daughter  Margaret  and 
Joanna  Anthon,  and  we  embarked  on  board  the  fine  steamboat 
"  Boston,"  the  accommodations  of  which  are  at  least  equal  to  any 
on  the  Hudson  river.  She  has  a  round-house  and  pleasant  state- 
rooms on  the  upper  deck,  one  of  whicli  was  occupied  by  the  girls. 

Boston,  June  i.  —  The  position  of  Newport  is  superb,  and  I 
was  surprised  to  find  it  so  large  a  town.  The  ride  to  Boston  is 
beautiful ;  we  came  through  Dedham,  by  Roxbury  and  the  Neck, 
and   could   not  avoid  being  delighted  with  the  view    of  the   fine 


I06  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [-Etat.54. 

country,  good  roads,  magnificent  country-seats  and  neat  cottages, 
notwithstanding  it  rained  the  whole  afternoon.  We  got  to  Boston 
at  seven  o'clock,  and  dined  at  the  Tremont  House,  where  excellent 
quarters  had  been  provided  by  the  attention  of  Mr.  Belknap,  who 
called  immediately  to  see  us,  and  my  reverend  and  excellent  friend 
Dr.  Wainwright  sat  half  an  hour  with  us. 

June  2.  —  The  storm  is  over,  and  this  morning  we  assembled  in 
our  pleasant  parlour  which  overlooks  the  extensive  cemetery  of  Park- 
street  church  and  its  ancient  elms.  We  arrived  at  Sharon,  where 
we  met  the  railroad  party,  consisting  of  Messrs.  ^^'oolsey,  Towns- 
end,  and  Russell,  of  New  York;  Jackson,  Wales,  Thomas,  and 
George  Perkins ;  Loring,  Moran,  Riviere,  and  others  from  Boston ; 
and  Ives  and  Potter  from  Providence,  with  the  gentlemen  of  the 
engineer  department.  We  sat  down  to  a  good  dinner  provided  for 
the  occasion,  with  excellent  wines,  which  had  been  brought  from 
Boston.  We  left  Sharon,  and  after  viewing  several  important 
points  on  the  railroad,  returned  to  Boston  at  nine  o'clock.  I  then 
went  to  the  Mayor's,  General  Lyman,  who  gave  a  soiree  to  the  civil 
and  military  characters  on  the  occasion  of  the  annual  election  of 
the  artillery  company,  where  I  met  the  Governor  of  the  State,  Mr. 
John  Davis,  a  distinguished  man,  and  Mr.  Armstrong,  the  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor, with  whom  I  was  much  pleased ;  and  many  others 
whom  it  was  well  to  know.  Mr.  Davis  has  been  recently  elected, 
and  the  State  lost  a  most  excellent  and  valuable  representative  in 
Congress  when  they  gained  in  him  a  good  governor. 

June  3. — The  railroad  party  assembled  at  the  depot  to  make  an 
excursion  on  the  road ;  but  there  was  some  deficiency  in  the  loco- 
motive engine,  and  the  affair  was  postponed  until  to-morrow. 
Many  of  our  friends  called  upon  us  during  the  morning,  and  after 
dinner  jMr.  William  Appleton  called  in  his  carriage,  and  we  took 
one  of  those  beautiful  drives  with  which  the  environs  of  Boston 
abound.  We  crossed  the  bridge  to  Cambridge,  saw  the  colleges, 
and  went  to  Mount  Auburn,  the  great  cemetery  of  Boston,  from 
which  it  is  distant  about  five  miles.     After  leavinir  ]\Iount  Auburn 


I834-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  10/ 

we  drove  to  Bunker's  Hill.  The  monument  which  was  begun  with 
so  much  spirit  eight  or  nine  years  ago  on  the  spot  where  Warren 
fell,  and  where  Great  Britain  was  first  taught  to  respect  the  energy 
and  devotion  of  a  people  determined  to  be  free,  is  still  unfinished. 
It  was  commenced,  as  such  things  usually  are  in  this  country,  upon 
too  large  a  scale ;  the  funds  have  run  out,  and  it  will  require  fresh 
exertions  and  a  new  impulse  to  finish  it  upon  the  original  plan. 

JuxE  4.  — The  directors  and  a  number  of  invited  gentlemen  met 
at  the  depot  of  the  company  at  nine  o'clock  and  made  the  first 
trip  on  the  railroad,  under  the  direction  of  Captain  McNeill,  the 
chief  engineer,  and  his  assistants.  The  train  of  carriages  was 
attached  to  a  locomotive,  and  we  went  on  very  well  to  within  a 
short  distance  of  Dedham,  where  a  collation  was  provided,  with 
champagne,  punch,  etc.  While  we  were  partaking  of  this,  the 
engineers  indulged  the  country  folk,  —  men,  women,  and  children, 
—  by  riding  them  on  the  road  a  few  miles,  after  which  we  returned 
at  an  accelerated  speed,  and  came  in  town,  ten  miles,  in  twenty- five 
minutes. 

June  6.  — The  girls  and  I  dined  with  Mr.  Harrison  G.  Otis  and 
Mrs.  Ritchie,  his  daughter.  They  had  an  exceedingly  agreeable 
party  to  meet  us,  and  our  dinner  was  pleasant  as  possible.  We 
went  from  Mrs.  Otis's  to  a  party  at  Mr.  William  Sullivan's,  where 
we  found  pleasant  company  and  good  music.  Mr.  Sullivan  got  a 
bottle  of  Eclipse  wine  for  my  special  benefit,  of  which  I  had  to 
drink  two  or  three  glasses,  notwithstanding  the  copious  libations  to 
which  I  had  been  tempted  where  I  dined.  This  Eclipse  wine  was 
imported  into  Boston  in  1806,  and  arrived  at  the  moment  of  the 
great  solar  eclipse,  to  which  circumstance  it  owes  its  name,  although 
it  might  claim  it  upon  the  ground  of  its  eclipsing  almost  all  other 
wines.     I  think  it  is  perfection. 

Dover,  N.  H.,  June  9.  —  We  finished  our  delightful  visit  at 
Boston,  and  came  away  in  the  stage  at  eight  o'clock  this  morn- 
ing. Came  to  Newburyport,  by  Salem,  thirty-five  miles,  to  dinner. 
Then  to  Portsmouth.      The  Rockingham   House  has  been  lately 


I08  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [-Etat.  54. 

fitted  up.     It  was  formerly  the  residence  of  Mr.  Woodbury  Lang- 
don,  father  of  the  gentleman  who  married  Miss  Astor. 

June  14.  —  The  old  Yankee  character  appears  to  me  to  be 
nearly  extinct.  I  have  taken  pains  to  bring  out  some  originals 
among  the  persons  I  have  met  since  we  left  Boston ;  I  have  found 
them  generally  civil  and  obliging  and  disposed  to  be  communica- 
tive, but  there  are  no  oddities  such  as  we  used  to  meet  in  former 
days.  The  march  of  refinement  and  the  progress  of  improvement 
which  has  substituted  cotton-mills  and  railroads  for  mountains  and 
cataracts  has  made  men  ashamed  of  those  broad  lines  of  national 
character  which  became  them  so  well. 

New  York,  June  21.  —  The  mail  brought  the  "  Jour- 
Lafayette,  ^^^  °^  Commerce  "  of  yesterday,  which  announces  the 
arrival  of  the  packet-ship  "  Silas  Richards,"  bringing 
news  from  England  to  the  24th  of  May.  My  venerable  friend 
Lafayette  died  at  his  house,  Rue  d'Anjou,  a  few  minutes  before 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  May,  in  the  seventy- 
seventh  year  of  his  age. 

June  25.  —  The  ceremonies  in  honour  of  Lafayette  took  place 
to-day  under  direction  of  a  joint  committee  of  the  Common  Coun- 
cil. It  was  the  last  tribute  of  New  York  to  the  last  major-general 
of  the  Continental  army,  the  hero  of  the  American  Revolution,  the 
ardent  apostle  of  liberty,  the  benevolent,  the  virtuous  Lafayette, 
and  everything  was  done  as  it  should  have  been.  An  urn,  covered 
by  the  wings  of  the  American  eagle,  well  done  in  bronze  plaster, 
was  drawn  by  four  white  horses  in  the  centre  of  a  hollow  square 
formed  by  the  Lafayette  Guards  and  followed  by  the  pall-bearers 
in  barouches.  These  were  members  of  the  Cincinnati,  associates  of 
Lafayette  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  their  selection  was 
left  with  delicacy  and  good  taste,  by  the  committee,  to  the  society. 
They  consisted  of  the  following:  Major-General  Morgan,  Col. 
John  Trumbull,  Col.  Simeon  DeWitt,  Maj.  Samuel  Cooper,  Col. 
William  North,  Maj.  William  Popham,  Col.  John  Van  Dyke,  and 
Capt.  Nathaniel  Norton. 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  lOQ 

July  10.  —  Our  city  last  evening  was  the  scene  of  disgraceful 
riots.  The  first  was  at  the  Bowery  Theatre.  An  actor  by  the 
name  of  Farren,  whose  benefit  it  was,  liad  made  himself  obnoxious 
by  some  ill-natured  reflections  upon  the  country,  which  called 
down  the  vengeance  of  the  mob,  who  seemed  determined  to 
deserve  the  bad  name  which  he  had  given  them.  An  hour  after 
the  performance  commenced  the  mob  broke  open  the  doors,  took 
possession  of  every  part  of  the  house,  committed  every  species  of 
outrage,  hissed  and  pelted  poor  Hamblin,  not  regarding  the  talisman 
which  he  relied  upon,  the  American  flag,  which  he  waved  over  his 
head.  This  they  disregarded,  because  the  hand  which  held  it  was 
that  of  an  Englishman,  and  they  would  listen  to  nobody  but 
"  American  Forrest."  He  assured  them  that  the  object  of  their 
rage,  Mr,  Farren,  had  made  a  hasty  exit,  and  the  mob  retired  to 
enact  a  more  disgraceful  scene  in  another  quarter. 

There  has  been  of  late  great  excitement  in  conse- 
Meetin'""  queucc  of  the  proceedings  of  a  set  of  fanatics  who  are 
determined  to  emancipate  all  the  slaves  by  a  coup  de 
main,  and  have  held  meetings  in  which  black  men  and  women 
have  been  introduced.  These  meetings  have  been  attended  with 
tumult  and  violence,  especially  one  which  was  held  on  Friday  even- 
ing at  the  Chatham -street  Chapel.  Arthur  Tappan  and  his 
brother  Lewis  have  been  conspicuous  in  these  proceedings,  and  the 
mob  last  night,  after  exhausting  their  rage  at  the  Bowery  Theatre, 
went  down  in  a  body  to  the  house  of  the  latter  gentleman  in  Rose 
street,  broke  into  the  house,  destroyed  the  windows,  and  made  a 
bonfire  of  the  furniture  in  the  street.  The  police  at  length  inter- 
fered, rather  tardily,  I  should  think  ;  but  the  diabolical  spirit  which 
prompted  this  outrage  is  not  quenched,  and  I  apprehend  we  shall 
see  more  of  it. 

July  18. —  Edmund  Charles  Genet  died  on  Wednesday  last  at 
his  residence  at  Schodack,  Rensselaer  County.  He  was  at  one 
time  an  important  personage.  He  came  as  minister  of  the  French 
Republic  to  this  country,  and  acted  as  became   the  representative 


no  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.^.tat.  54. 

of  the  madmen  who,  under  the  name  of  Hberty,  were  destroying 
their  country  and  crushing  the  people.  Nothing  but  the  firmness 
of  Washington  prevented  Genet  from  enUsting  the  people  of  this 
country  in  the  cause  of  the  French  mob,  and  nothing  but  the  per- 
sonal character  of  the  saviour  of  his  country  could  have  availed 
to  check  the  madness  of  the  people.  Genet  was  recalled  on  the 
downfall  of  his  party ;  but  as  he  had  no  fancy  to  risk  the  separa- 
tion of  his  head  from  his  shoulders,  he  stayed  where  he  was,  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Governor  Clinton  (the  elder),  and  became  an 
American  citizen,  and,  I  suspect,  from  his  visionary  notions,  rather 
a  troublesome  one  to  the  neighbourhood  in  which  he  resided. 

July  22.  —  Mr.  Frelinghuysen  has  been  received  with  distin- 
guished honours  on  his  return  to  his  own  State ;  and  Tslr.  Sprague, 
of  Maine,  another  of  the  worthies  of  the  Senate,  has  made  a 
triumphant  journey  through  Portsmouth,  N.H.,  and  was  received 
in  the  most  flattering  manner  at  Portland ;  and  his  entry  into  his 
own  town,  Hallowell,  was  marked  with  the  ringing  of  the  bells, 
firing  of  cannon,  and  patriotic  addresses  ;  flags  and  streamers  were 
displayed  from  the  houses,  and  among  the  mottoes  the  following 
prevailed,  "  I  am  no  man's  man." 

August  22.  —  The  spirit  of  riot  and  insubordination 
^°*  "*  to  the  laws  which  lately  prevailed  in  New  York  has 

made  its  appearance  in  the  orderly  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  appears  to  have  been  produced  by  causes  equally  insig- 
nificant, —  hostility  to  the  blacks  and  an  indiscriminate  persecution 
of  all  whose  skins  were  darker  than  those  of  their  enlightened 
fellow-citizens.  A  most  disgraceful  riot  also  occurred  on  the  night 
of  Monday,  the  nth,  at  Charlesto\ni,  near  Boston.  The  populace 
having  been  deceived  by  ill- designing  persons  into  an  erroneous 
belief  that  a  young  lady  was  confined  against  her  will  in  the  Ursu- 
line  Convent,  a  highly  respectable  seminary  under  the  charge  of 
the  Roman  Catholics,  made  an  attack  upon  the  convent,  a  noble 
edifice  near  Charlestown,  and  the  other  buildings  belonging  to  the 
sisterhood,  and  burned  them  to  the  ground  with  all  the  valuable 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  Ill 

furniture,  desecrated  the  cemetery,  and  committed  every  species 
of  outrage.  This  act  has  caused  great  excitement  in  Boston.  A 
meeting  was  immediately  held  in  Faneuil  Hall,  at  which  the  most 
distinguished  citizens  of  all  parties  attended.  Resolutions  were 
adopted  reprobating  in  the  strongest  terms  the  unworthy  conduct 
of  their  neighbours.  The  Mayor  presided,  and  all  the  magistrates 
assisted  in  the  proceedings.  Large  rewards  were  offered  for  the 
apprehension  of  the  persons  concerned  in  the  riot.  The  venerable 
Bishop  Fenwick  of  the  Catholic  Church  succeeded  in  casting  the 
holy  oil  of  his  eloquence  upon  the  furious  waves  which  were  about 
rising  in  his  excitable  congregation,  and  the  consequences  were 
less  serious  than  at  first  apprehended.  The  active  and  prompt 
measures  which  were  adopted  led  to  the  apprehension  of  several 
of  the  ringleaders,  who  await  their  trial. 

We  had  on  Sunday  last  a  visit  from  a  party  of 
Rockaway.  gentlemen  in  the  new  steam-brig  belonging  to  Mr. 
Cunard,  of  Halifax,  which  lately  came  out  from  Eng- 
land. She  anchored  abreast  of  the  Pavilion,  and  Messrs.  Cunard, 
Cochran,  Charles  McEvers,  Brooks,  and  Dennistoun  came  ashore 
in  the  boat,  and  landed  in  the  surf. 

Hyde  Park,  Sunday,  Sept.  14.  —  We  left  Albany  at  half-past 
six  this  morning  in  the  steamboat  "  Champlain."  There  is  a 
violent  opposition  between  two  lines  of  boats.  The  fare  to  New 
York  is  fifty  cents.  We  were  contending  with  the  "  Nimrod  "  all 
the  way  down,  and  for  five  or  six  miles  before  we  reached  Hyde 
Park  landing,  the  boats  were  in  contact,  both  pushing  furiously  at 
the  top  of  their  speed,  and  we  and  our  trunks  were  pitched  ashore 
like  bundles  of  hay.  The  people  at  the  landing  being  all  in  favour 
of  the  opposition,  except  Dr.  Hosack  himself,  nobody  would  take 
a  line,  and  we  might  have  drowned  without  an  arm  being 
reached  to  save  us. 

September  16. — We  left  Hyde  Park  and  came  on 
At  Home.        board  the  "  Champion,"  an  opposition  boat,  at  half- 
past  twelve  o'clock.     The  "  Albany  "  passed  the  land- 


112  THE   DIARY  OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  54. 

ing  a  few  minutes  in  advance,  but  did  not  stop.  Our  boat  had 
three  or  four  hundred  passengers,  and  such  a  set  of  ragtag  and 
bobtail  I  never  saw  on  board  a  North-river  steamboat  —  the 
effect  of  the  fifty-cent  system.  If  the  people  do  not  rise  in  their 
might  and  put  a  stop  to  the  racing  and  opposition,  it  will  be  better 
to  return  to  the  primitive  mode  of  travelling  in  Albany  sloops.  I 
would  rather  consume  three  or  four  days  in  the  voyage,  than  be 
made  to  fly  in  fear  and  trembling,  subject  to  every  sort  of  discom- 
fort, with  my  life  at  the  mercy  of  a  set  of  fellows  whose  only  object 
is  to  drive  their  competitors  off  the  river. 

October  3.  —  Party-spirit  runs  exceedingly  high  in  every  part 
of  our  country.  Timid  people  begin  to  be  afraid  of  the  conse- 
quences of  the  struggle  which  is  soon  to  take  place,  by  which  the 
question  will  be  determined  whether  General  Jackson,  by  the  aid 
of  his  interested  advisers,  can  sustain  himself  in  his  unconstitu- 
tional assumption  of  power,  and  perpetuate  it  in  the  election  of  his 
favourite,  the  heir  presumptive,  ]Mr.  Van  Buren,  or  whether  the 
people,  by  a  great  and  simultaneous  effort,  shall  burst  their 
shackles,  rescue  the  Constitution,  and  stand  once  more  erect  in 
their  majesty,  free  and  disenthralled. 

October  4.  —  The  country  is  on  the  eve  of  a  great  political 
contest.  The  party  in  power,  consisting  of  office-holders  and  their 
dependants,  supported  by  the  public  moneys  over  which  they  have 
usurped  the  control,  and  relying  upon  the  personal  popularity  of 
the  President,  —  impaired  certainly,  but  still  exercising  an  unac- 
countable influence  over  the  minds  of  the  people,  —  will  fight 
hard  and  take  many  hard  blows  before  they  surrender  their  power. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Whigs  are  cool,  determined,  and  willing 
to  go  all  lawful  and  reasonable  lengths  to  bring  about  a  state  of 
things  more  honourable  to  the  country  and  advantageous  to  the 
people.  This  month  and  the  next  the  elections  will  take  place 
by  which  this  important  question  will  be  decided.  Pennsylvania 
elects  in  a  few  weeks,  and  our  general  election  in  this  State 
comes   on   in    November.      We   have  little   or  no  hope   of   the 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  II 3 

former,  but  New  York  looks  well,  and  the  Whigs  have  good  hopes 
of  success. 

Sunday,  Oct.  12.  — I  went  this  morning  with  my  daughter  to 
the  Church  du  St.  Esprit  at  the  corner  of  Church  and  Leonard 
streets,  the  first  service  since  its  consecration.  The  corner-stone 
of  the  old  church  in  Pine  street  was  laid  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years  ago.  It  was  originally  a  Calvinist  church,  and  continued 
so  until  Mr.  Elias  Desbrosses,  a  member  of  the  church,  left  it  a 
rich  legacy,  on  condition  of  its  joining  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
communion,  since  which  it  has  been  Episcopal. 

October  14.  —  Matthews  made  his  first  appear- 
Matthcws.  ance  last  evening  at  the  Park,  in  his  entertainment  of 
the  "  Comic  Annual  "  and  "  Mons.  Morbleu,"  and  was 
well  received  by  one  of  the  greatest  houses  I  have  ever  seen. 
There  was  a  design  to  make  a  row,  and  a  number  of  disorderly 
fellows  collected  for  that  purpose,  instigated  by  placards  which 
had  been  placed  during  the  day  on  the  corners  of  the  streets, 
denouncing  Matthews  as  a  libeller  of  our  country  and  as  having 
ridiculed  us  in  one  of  his  pieces  performed  in  England  after  his 
last  visit  to  America.  This  ridiculous  attempt  of  some  enemy  of 
the  Park  Theatre  to  excite  the  bad  feelings  of  a  set  of  disorderly 
young  men,  who  stand  ready  for  any  kind  of  mischief,  whether 
it  be  to  attack  theatres,  desecrate  churches,  assault  Whigs,  or 
murder  negroes,  was  met  with  a  determined  spirit  of  opposition 
by  a  most  respectable  audience,  who  received  Matthews  on  his 
return  to  our  stage  with  such  a  burst  of  applause,  that  the  in- 
stigators of  mischief  had  not  a  chance  to  put  in  a  single  hiss  in 
abatement,  and  the  performance  went  off  without  interruption. 

October  18.  —  The  election  in  New  Jersey  has  gone  against 
the  W^higs,  notwithstanding  our  shouts  on  the  receipt  of  the  first 
returns.  All  the  counties  nearest  to  New  York  returned  large 
Whig  majorities,  and  those  were  of  course  first  heard  from ;  but  the 
news  has  been  different  from  that  part  of  the  State  bordering  on 
Pennsylvania,  so  that  the  whole  result  gives  something  more  than 


114  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  54. 

one  thousand  majority  for  the  Jackson  worshippers.  We  have 
lost  the  State,  it  is  said,  from  the  opposition  of  the  Hicksites, 
one  of  the  contending  sects  of  the  Quakers  with  whom  that  part 
of  the  State  abounds.  They  have  recently  been  engaged  in  a  law- 
suit with  the  orthodox  party  for  the  possession  of  certain  property 
belonging  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  in  which  Mr.  Frelinghuysen  was 
professionally  engafed  against  them.  His  term  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  is  about  to  expire,  and  the  Legislature  now  elected 
will  have  the  appointment  of  a  successor.  Mr.  Frelinghuysen 
would  have  been  reappointed  if  the  Whigs  had  succeeded,  and 
these  Hicksites,  in  a  spirit  unworthy  of  their  professions  of  meek- 
ness and  disregard  of  worldly  politics,  have  deprived  the  State 
of  the  services  of  one  of  its  most  virtuous  and  enlightened  states- 
men, and  prevented  the  success  of  a  party  who  seek  only  to 
restore  to  the  country  its  just  rights  and  preserve  the  purity  of 
our  republican  institutions.  When  these  people  are  called  upon 
to  perform  the  civil  duties  required  of  them  in  common  with  other 
citizens,  they  are  restrained  by  the  rules  of  their  order.  When 
the  country  is  in  danger  they  cannot  fight  because  their  religion 
forbids  them  to  carry  arms,  and  yet,  forsooth,  they  may  interfere 
in  elections,  and  bringing  their  petty  squabbles  to  the  polls, 
decide  the  contest  in  favour  of  a  party  who  have  no  object  but  to 
strengthen  the  power  of  a  military  ruler,  and  blindly  support  his 
arbitrary  measures. 

October  23.  —  The  Whig  nominating  committee  agreed  last 
evening  upon  their  tickets,  but  the  rank  and  file  out-of-doors 
object  to  one  or  two  of  the  nominees  for  Congress ;  not  that  they 
are  not  good  enough,  but  too  good.  The  proceedings  are  to  be 
reviewed  this  evening ;  the  times  are  critical ;  a  tremendous 
stn;ggle  is  at  hand,  and  most  important  consequences  will  result 
from  the  approaching  election,  and  all  personal  feelings  and  predi- 
lections must  be  sacrificed  for  the  success  of  our  party,  which  we 
say  involves  the  public  good.  We  must  discard  all  other  consider- 
ations, and  without  committing  ourselves  to  vote  for  unworthy  per- 


iS34.]  THE   DIARY   OF  PHILIP   IIOXE.  I  I  5 

sons,  run  only  such  as  will  obtain  the  most  votes.  Our  folks 
are  not  so  well  drilled  as  their  opponents ;  they  will  think  for 
themseh^es,  not,  like  them,  go  straight  forward,  right  or  wrong, 
as  they  are  bidden. 

Monday,  Oct.  27.  —  Both  parties  have  been  hurrah- 

Jackson 

Triumphs  and  ing  to-day  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  —  the  Whigs  for 
Merchants'       ^^g  victories  they  have  won,  and  the  Jackson  men  that 

Meeting-. 

they  have  lost  no  more.  The  latter  rallied  their  forces 
in  the  upper  wards  from  BrookljTi  and  all  other  places  where  num- 
bers without  regard  to  quality  could  be  obtained,  and  marched 
them  down  to  Castle  Garden,  where  a  feast  (not  of  reason)  was 
prepared,  and  a  flow  of  whiskey  (not  of  soul)  was  served  out  gra- 
tuitously to  the  well-drilled  troops  of  the  regency.  They  fired  guns 
and  exhibited  fireworks,  and  all  in  the  way  of  rejoicing  for  victories 
not  won,  or  rather,  "  to  keep  their  spirits  up  by  pouring  spirits 
down."  Among  other  causes  of  rejoicing,  as  set  forth  in  the  sum- 
mons to  attend,  was  the  triumph  of  the  administration  party  in 
Ohio ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  news  of  the  day  seems  to  leave  little 
doubt  of  the  Whigs  having  gained  the  election  in  that  great  and 
patriotic  State ;  but  the  guns,  nevertheless,  were  fired,  the  whiskey 
drunk,  the  congratulatory  speeches  made,  and  the  hurrahs  for  Ohio 
rent  •  the  air,  exactly  according  to  the  programme  prepared  at 
Tammany  Hall. 

The  merchants  had  a  great  meeting  at  the  Exchange,  —  a  great 
Whig  meeting  in  numbers,  respectabihty,  enthusiasm,  and  zeal, 
equal  to  any  of  those  which  were  held  in  the  same  place  previous 
to  the  Spring  election,  and  which  led  the  way  then  to  such  encour- 
aging results.  There  was  no  falling  off  there,  "  my  countrymen." 
I  was  unprepared  to  speak,  but  was  compelled  to  go  forward  by  a 
loud  and  unanimous  call  from  all  parts  of  the  room ;  but  I  did  not 
regret  it,  for  it  was  one  of  the  few  cases  in  which  I  succeeded  in 
satisfying  myself,  and  judging  by  the  applause  I  received  I  was  not 
alone  in  my  opinion.  What  a  comforting  thing  it  is  to  have  a  good 
opinion  of  one's  self! 


Il6  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

October  30.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us :  Mr. 
Charles  Matthews,  George  Blake,  of  Boston,  F.  G.  Halleck,  Charles 
A.  Davis,  Washington  Irving,  William  H.  Maxwell,  Thomas  W. 
Moore,  James  Monroe,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  Henry  Hone.  Matthews  was 
exceedingly  agreeable.  He  did  not  sing  or  recite,  as  he  was  wont 
to  do  at  dinner-parties,  but  he  talked  a  great  deal  and  -with  great 
enthusiasm,  and  introduced  occasionally  some  good  stories  and 
amusing  imitations,  particularly  of  Curran,  Shiel,  O'Connell,  and 
other  eloquent  Irishmen,  in  order  to  illustrate  the  different  kinds  of 
Irish  brogue.  He  is  admirable  in  his  Irish  and  French  characters 
in  such  a  company  as  we  had  this  evening.  His  intonations,  so 
rich,  the  versatility  of  voice  to  suit  his  different  characters,  and  the 
admirable  expression  of  his  countenance,  all  tell  with  powerful 
effect  at  my  round-table,  but  are  spread  over  too  large  a  surface  in 
the  theatre,  and  lost  to  a  large  proportion  of  the  audience.  He 
complains  of  this  himself.  The  Adelphi  Theatre  in  London,  where 
he  performed,  is  not  more  than  one-third  of  the  size  of  the  Park, 
and  he  acknowledges  the  difificulty  he  has  in  giving  proper  effect  to 
his  good  sayings  in  so  large  a  space  and  before  so  numerous  an 
audience. 

October  31.  —  The  Whigs  are  raising  liberty-poles  in  all  the 
wards.  I  went  to  one  of  those  ceremonies  yesterday  in  the  tenth 
ward,  at  the  corner  of  the  Bowery  and  Hester  street.  The  pole, 
one  hundred  feet  high,  with  a  splendid  cap  and  gilt  vane  with  suita- 
ble devices,  was  escorted  by  a  procession  of  good  men  and  true  on 
horseback,  and  was  received  at  the  place  of  its  destination  by  an 
immense  collection  of  good-looking  Whigs,  each  of  whom  appeared 
inspired  by  patriotic  feeUngs  and  a  fixed  determination  to  do  his 
duty  in  the  approaching  contest.  I  came  away  before  the  affair 
was  over,  finding  that  it  was  expected  of  me  to  make  a  speech, 
which  would  have  interfered  with  my  engagements  at  home. 

November  3.  —  First  day  of  the  great  election  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  which  is  to  decide  whether  the  principles  of  General 
Jackson  are  approved  and  ratified  by  the  people,  and  whether  Mr. 


iS34.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  11/ 

Van  Buren  is  to  be  his  successor ;  for  these  important  questions  are 
left  to  the  decision  of  this  State,  and  the  test  will  be  the  result  of 
the  election.  Both  parties  here  are  confident ;  but  the  confidence 
of  the  Whigs  has  gained  strength  daily  for  the  last  two  or  three 
weeks,  and  our  success  in  Ohio,  which  is  now  certain,  has  conduced 
much  to  it. 

Tuesday,  Nov.  4.  —  The  election  continues  with  spirit.  The 
weather  is  fine,  as  it  was  yesterday,  and  contrary  to  the  apprehen- 
sions of  many  of  our  citizens,  we  have  had  no  riots  or  serious 
disturbance  as  yet.  This  is  principally  owing  to  the  excellent 
arrangement  of  the  inspectors,  a  majority  of  whom,  in  each  ward, 
are  Whigs  ;  to  the  precautionary  measures  of  the  Mayor ;  and  above 
all  to  the  awe  with  which  the  mob  have  been  impressed  by  the 
determination  of  the  better  sort  of  people  of  all  parties  to  prevent, 
at  all  hazards,  a  repetition  of  such  scenes  as  disgraced  our  city  in 
the  Spring,  and  more  recently  and  to  a  greater  degree,  our  neigh- 
bours in  Philadelphia.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  an  immense 
collection  of  Whigs  from  Masonic  Hall  went  in  a  body  to  Washing- 
ton Hall,  where  Mr.  Webster  lodges,  and  saluted  him  with  cheers ; 
after  some  time  he  came  out  and  made  them  a  short  and  eloquent 
speech. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  5 .  —  The  election  closed  this  evening.  The 
Governor's  votes  were  canvassed  in  all  the  wards  except  the  sixth, 
and  by  nine  o'clock  enough  was  kno\vn  to  satisfy  us  to  our  heart's 
content  that  we  are  beaten,  —  badly  beaten  ;  worse  than  the  least 
sanguine  of  us  anticipated.  The  majority  in  our  wards  (with  the 
exception  of  the  15th)  have  fallen  off  grievously,  and  theirs  have 
increased  in  an  equal  ratio  ;  the  third  ward  has  fallen  off  two  hun- 
dred from  the  Spring  election.  The  Tories  will  have  between  two 
and  three  thousand  majority. 

Thursday,  Nov.  6. — The  triumph  was  celebrated  last  night  by 
the  worshippers  of  Jackson  with  the  refinement  and  forbearance 
which  might  have  been  expected.  I  had  been  taken  in  the  morn- 
ing with  an  attack  of  vertigo  and  headache,  which  confined  me  to 


I  I  8  THE   DIARY   OF   riilLIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  54. 

the  house  nearly  the  whole  day,  but  I  made  out  to  walk  up  in  the 
evening  to  Masonic  Hall,  where  the  news  I  received  was  not  cal- 
culated to  make  me  feel  better.  I  returned  home  much  indisposed, 
and  retired  to  bed  at  an  early  hour,  where  I  was  kept  awake  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  night  by  the  unmanly  insults  of  the  ruffian 
crew  from  Tammany  Hall,  who  came  over  to  my  door  every  half- 
hour  and  saluted  me  with  groans  and  hisses.  This  continued  until 
past  three  o'clock,  and  for  what?  Because  I  have  exercised  the 
right  which,  in  common  with  every  American  citizen,  I  enjoy  (or 
have  enjoyed  until  this  time),  of  expressing  my  disapprobation  of  a 
course  of  measures  which  I  conceive  to  be  dangerous  to  the  liber- 
ties of  the  people,  and  inimical  to  the  free  institutions  of  my  native 
land.  This  I  have  done  with  truth,  zeal,  and  firmness,  but  always, 
I  trust,  with  decorum  and  propriety ;  and  for  this  I  have  been 
insulted  and  annoyed.  I  have  for  many  years  sacrificed  my  com- 
fort, exhausted  my  time,  and  abridged  my  enjoyments  by  a  devo- 
tion to  the  service  of  my  fellow-citizens.  A  member  of  all  the 
public  institutions,  charitable,  public- spirited,  or  patriotic,  where 
time  was  to  be  lost,  labour  performed,  and  no  pay  to  be  had ;  my 
own  affairs  neglected,  and  my  money  frequently  poured  out  like 
water ;  the  friend,  and  patron  of  the  working-men,  without  regard 
to  party ;  —  and  now  my  reward  is  found  in  the  revilings  of  a  mob 
of  midnight  rufiians,  among  whom,  I  have  no  doubt,  were  some  of 
the  very  men  whom  I  have  assisted  to  support,  to  the  exclusion  of 
others  who  are  proud  to  acknowledge  themselves  my  personal  and 
political  friends.     I  believe  I  am  rightly  served. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  David  S.  Jones.  Mr.  Webster  was  one  of  the 
party,  and  notwithstanding  the  sad  disappointment  which,  in  com- 
mon with  his  political  friends  (but  in  a  greater  degree),  he  has  just 
now  experienced,  he  was  in  the  vein  to  be  exceedingly  pleasant,  and 
I  have  not  in  many  a  day  enjoyed  a  more  delightful  conversation. 

November  10.  —  I  apprehend  that  Mr.  Van  Buren  and  his 
friends  have  no  permanent  cause  of  triumph  in  their  victory.  They 
have    succeeded   by  the    means  of  instruments  which   may  work 


1834-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE,  II9 

their  owti  destruction ;  they  have  mounted  a  vicious  horse,  who, 
taking  the  bit  in  his  mouth,  will  run  away  with  him.  The  agrarian 
party,  who  have  had  things  pretty  much  their  own  way,  will  not  stop 
at  Martin  Van  Buren,  —  they  will  dig  deeper  into  the  swamps  of 
political  depravity,  and  the  good  men  of  our  community,  the  sup- 
porters of  the  Constitution,  and  the  true  friends  of  civil  liberty  may 
be  soon  called  upon  to  unite  in  his  favour,  against  a  worse  man 
and  principles  more  dangerous  than  his.  This  battle  had  been 
fought  upon  the  ground  of  the  poor  against  the  rich,  and  this  un- 
worthy prejudice,  this  dangerous  delusion,  has  been  encouraged  by 
the  leaders  of  the  triumphant  party,  and  fanned  into  a  flame  by 
the  polluted  breath  of  the  hireling  press  in  their  employ.  In  the 
saturnalian  orgies  with  which  our  streets  have  been  disgraced,  the 
unmannerly  epithets  which  were  so  liberally  bestowed  upon  myself 
and  other  peaceable  citizens  for  having  exercised  the  privilege  of 
freemen  in  opposing  a  party  whose  political  doctrines  we  thought 
unfavourable  to  the  true  interests  of  the  nation,  the  cry  of  "  Down 
with  the  aristocracy  !  "  mingled  with  the  shouts  of  victory,  and  must 
have  grated  on  the  ears  of  some  of  their  own  leaders  like  the 
croaking  of  the  evil-boding  raven.  They  have  succeeded  in  raising 
this  dangerous  spirit,  and  have  gladly  availed  themselves  of  its  sup- 
port to  accomplish  a  temporary  object;  but  can  they  allay  it  at 
pleasure  ?  Will  their  voices  be  heard  when  they  cry  "  Thus  far 
shalt  thou  go  and  no  farther"?  Eighteen  thousand  men  in  New 
York  have  voted  for  the  high-priest  of  the  party  whose  professed 
design  is  to  bring  down  the  property,  the  talents,  the  industry,  the 
steady  habits  of  that  class  which  constituted  the  real  strength  of 
the  Commonwealth,  to  the  common  level  of  the  idle,  the  worth- 
less, and  the  unenlightened.  Look  to  it,  ye  men  of  respectability 
in  the  Jackson  party,  are  ye  not  afraid  of  the  weapons  ye  have 
used  in  this  warfare  ?  It  is  idle  to  plead  the  necessity  of  the  case, 
the  force  of  what  you  call  regular  nominations.  How  came  this 
power  so  strong  among  ye?  Where  was  the  influence  of  the 
Aliens  and  the  Bownes,  the  Bloodgoods  and  the  Alleys,  the  Phelps 


I20  THE   DIARY    OF    rillLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  54. 

and  the  Van  Schaicks,  when  the  disciples  of  this  man  came  among 
ye,  and  made  the  walls  of  old  Tammany  resound  with  his  appalling 
dictum  ?     The  dose  was  unpalatable,  but  you  swallowed  it. 

NovEMr.F.R  12.  —  I  went  to  the  opera,  where  I  saw  the  second 
act  of  "  La  Slraniera,"  by  Bellini.  The  house  is  as  pretty  as  ever, 
and  the  same  faces  were  seen  in  the  boxes  as  formerly ;  but  it  is  not 
a  popular  entertainment,  and  will  not  be  in  our  day,  I  fear.  The 
opera  did  not  please  me.  There  was  too  much  recitation,  and 
I  shall  never  discipline  my  taste  to  like  common  colloquial  ex- 
pressions of  life,  "How  do  you  do,  madam?"  or,  "Pretty  well, 
I  thank  you,  sir,"  the  better  for  being  given  with  an  orchestral 
accompaniment. 

November  13.  — There  is  some  salt  left  in  the  land, 

Massachu-       —  ^j^^  ^^^^  general  election  in  Massachusetts  has  gone 

for  the  Whigs  by  unprecedented  majorities.     Governor 

Davis  will  be  reelected  by  an  immense  vote.     Abbott  Lawrence 

goes  to  Congress  from  Boston. 

November  21,  —  The  President,  since  he  came  into  office  in 
1829,  has  had  four  secretaries  of  state,  two  of  war,  five  of  the 
treasury,  three  of  the  navy,  and  three  attorney-generals.  Tyrants 
are  fickle  in  the  choice  of  servants. 

November  22.  —  Power  had  his  benefit  last  night.  He  appeared 
in  Rover,  in  "  Wild  Oats,"  and  a  piece  called  "  Botheration."  It  was 
a  good  house.  In  the  last  piece  a  little  row  was  raised  by  acci- 
dent. Ritchings,  speaking  of  a  lady  who  wore  a  wig,  says  wigs  are 
out  of  date.  This  touched  a  sore  place,  and  was  received  with 
applause  by  one  party  in  the  pit  and  disapprobation  by  the  other, 
and  the  clamour  became  so  long  and  loud  that  Ritchings  was 
under  the  necessity  of  coming  forward  and  disclaiming  all  inten- 
tion of  alluding  to  the  political  party  called  Whigs,  who,  although 
defeated,  are  not  willing  to  acknowledge  themselves  "  out  of  date." 

November  24.  —  The  fine  old  frigate  "Constellation"  arrived 
at  Norfolk  on  Thursday,  in  thirty-eight  days  from  Gibraltar,  after  a 
cruise  of  several  years  in  the  Mediterranean.     She  was  one  of  the 


I834-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  121 

three  ships  built  in  the  year  1797,  "Old  Ironsides"  and  the 
"  United  States  "  being  the  other  two.  She  is  now  commanded  by 
my  gallant  friend,  George  C.  Read.  Commodore  Patterson,  in  the 
"  Delaware,"  was  on  the  coast  of  Syria,  and  Ballard,  in  the 
"  United  States,"  at  Smyrna,  giving  convoy  to  American  vessels. 
The  "  Constellation  "  has  brought  over  two  fine  marble  statues,  by 
Louis  Persico,  emblematical  of  peace  and  war,  intended  to  orna- 
ment the  Capitol  of  the  United  States,  accompanied  by  the  artist, 
who  has  also  a  bust  of  the  hero.  General  Jackson,  who  can  regu- 
late both  peace  and  war,  and  carry  the  Capitol  away  in  his  pocket, 
or  set  fire  to  it  with  his  pipe,  if  he  chooses.  The  "Constellation" 
is  ordered  around  to  Washington  with  these  sculptural  trophies.  I 
would  advise  the  "greatest  and  best"  to  have  his  counterfeit  repre- 
sentation set  up  in  one  of  the  high  places  to  receive  the  homage  of 
his  liege  subjects,  a  majority  of  whom  are  unhappily  more  willing 
to  bow  to  him  or  his  image  than  even  his  own  vanity  may  prompt 
him  to  exact  from  them. 

November  29. — The  refusal  of  the  French  Chamber  of  Depu- 
ties to  vote  the  supplies  necessary  to  carry  into  effect  Mr.  Rives's 
treaty  of  indemnity  for  spoliations  committed  under  the  reign  of 
Napoleon,  begins  to  cause  an  apprehension  that  our  government 
may  find  it  necessary  to  pursue  a  course  of  hostility  to  coerce 
France  into  the  performance  of  obligations  freely  entered  into  by 
her,  and  the  stipulations  of  which  on  the  part  of  this  country  have 
been  carried  into  effect  with  good  faith.  Congress  is  to  meet  on 
Monday,  and  the  expectation  of  a  hostile  tone  of  the  President's 
message  is  so  great  that  the  sailing  of  the  Liverpool  packet  of  the 
first  of  December  is  delayed  until  the  third,  to  enable  her  to  carry 
out  that  document.  Restrictions  on  the  trade  between  this  coun- 
try and  France  would  be  agreeable  news  for  John  Bull.  The 
American  ladies  must  have  silk  dresses  to  exhibit  in  Broadway  and 
Chestnut  street,  and  if  France  should  be  interdicted  from  supply- 
ing us  with  the  material  it  would  occasion  an  accelerated  motion 
of  the  shuttles  of  Spitalfields.     It  is  to  be  hoped,  however,  that  the 


122  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

matter  may  be  settled  without  a  serious  misunderstanding.  Mr. 
Rives's  five  millions  are  hardly  worth  going  to  war  about,  unless 
there  should  be  some  point  of  national  honour  so  deeply  involved 
as  to  forbid  a  calculation  of  dollars  and  cents.  Louis  Philippe  does 
not  seem  to  have  sufficient  power  over  the  Chamber  of  Deputies. 
He  is  only  a  king ;  it  would  be  well  for  him  to  take  advice  from 
our  President  touching  the  manner  of  rendering  the  representatives 
of  the  people,  so  called,  subservient  to  his  wishes. 

December  3.  —  Yesterday  at  noon  the  President's  message  was 
communicated  to  both  Houses,  and  it  was  in  New  York  at  two 
o'clock  this  morning,  having  been  brought  on  by  express,  in  little 
more  than  twelve  hours,  two  hundred  and  thirty  miles.  This  is  a 
great  performance,  and  shows  what  money  can  do  ;  but  cui  bono  ? 
the  game  is  not  worth  the  candle.  There  is  not  one  reader  of  the 
daily  papers  out  of  a  hundred  who  would  give  sixpence  to  read 
this  document  four  hours  earlier  than  he  otherwise  might,  and  the 
express  in  this  instance  is  said  to  have  cost  seven  hundred  dollars. 
The  message  is,  as  usual,  too  long ;  but  the  people  have  become 
accustomed  to  take  these  annual  outpourings  of  executive  wet- 
nurses  in  pretty  large  doses,  and  rely  more  upon  the  efficacy  of  a 
bottle  of  Congress  water  than  on  the  concentrated  virtue  of  a  Seid- 
litz-powder ;  and  so  Dr.  Jackson,  who  can  make  his  patients  swallow 
anything,  has,  by  the  aid  of  his  regular-bred  practitioners  in  the 
study,  and  the  green-apron  boys  below,  managed  to  give  the  body 
politic  enough  to  insure  tolerable  regularity  until  his  next  regular 
visit.  This  message  is  interesting  principally  from  the  view  it 
takes  of  our  relations  with  France,  with  whom  we  have  a  knotty 
question  which  may  ultimately  lead  to  something  serious,  and  I 
must  say  that  on  this  subject  the  message  is  quite  satisfactory ;  its 
explanations  are  clear,  its  language  dignified,  and  its  sentiment 
manly  and  patriotic.  The  negotiations  of  Mr.  Rives,  for  indemni- 
fication for  the  spoliations  of  France  committed  during  the  reign 
of  Napoleon,  resulted  in  a  treaty  signed  at  Paris  on  the  4th  of  July, 
1 83 1,  by  which  France  agreed  to  liquidate  all  our  claims  by  the 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF   I'lIILIP   HONE.  1 23 

payment  of  twenty-five  millions  of  francs,  in  six  annual  payments. 
This  treaty  was  duly  ratified  in  Washington  on  the  2d  of  February, 
1832,  and  acts  were  passed  by  Congress  to  reduce  the  duties  on 
French  wines,  agreeably  to  the  stipulations  on  our  part,  which  have 
been  continued  in  good  faith.  In  the  mean  time  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies  delayed  from  time  to  time  to  make  the  necessary  appro- 
priations for  carrying  the  treaty  into  effect ;  the  draft  of  the  govern- 
ment for  the  first  annual  instalment  which  was  negotiated  through 
the  Bank  of  the  United  States  was  returned  protested,  and  finally 
the  last  action  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  in  the  month  of  April 
last,  nearly  three  years  after  the  signing  of  the  treaty,  resulted  in 
their  refusal  to  make  the  appropriation.  And  so  the  matter  stands. 
All  this  is  fairly  laid  down  in  the  message  in  a  manner  creditable  to 
the  President  and  his  Cabinet ;  but  I  do  not  approve  the  conclusion 
he  comes  to.  He  asks  Congress  to  give  him  power  to  issue  letters 
of  marque  and  reprisals  which  cannot  fail  to  be  considered  by  the 
French  Government  as  a  menace,  and  will,  I  fear,  counteract  the 
good  effects  of  the  firm  but  courteous  style  in  which  our  claims  for 
justice  are  set  forth  in  the  message,  and  weaken  our  cause  with  the 
lookers-on  in  other  countries.  Besides,  I  am  not  one  of  those 
who  wish  to  place  power  in  the  hands  of  the  President,  and  I 
almost  wonder  that  he  should  have  thought  it  necessary  to  ask  for 
it,  after  some  of  his  late  experiments,  which  must  have  satisfied 
him  that  he  may  take  what  power  he  pleases  and  the  people  will 
bear  him  out  in  it.  The  Constitution  and  the  laws  may  stand  in  his 
way,  to  be  sure,  but  those  are  trifles.  Andrew  Jackson,  depending 
upon  his  popularity  with  the  Jackson  party,  is  superior  to  the  petty 
trammels  which  restrained  the  Washingtons,  the  Jeffersons,  and  the 
Madisons  of  former  times.  The  Jackson  party  are  in  the  majority. 
They  will  support  him  right  or  wrong,  and  it  was  very  pretty 
behaved,  but  altogether  supererogatory  to  ask  the  leave  of  Congress, 
to  do  this  or  anything  else  he  may  think  proper.  William  III.  or 
Louis  Philippe  may  require  legislative  sanction  ;  they  are  only  kings ; 
give  me  the  president  of  a  republican  people  for  a  bold  stroke  of 


124  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  54. 

power.  General  Jackson's  coup  d'etat  would  not  endanger  his 
standing  with  the  people,  much  less  cost  him  his  crown,  as  it  did 
that  loving,  but  less  fortunate  brother,  Charles  X.  The  language 
of  the  message  in  relation  to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  is  dis- 
graceful to  the  President  and  humiliating  to  every  American.  It 
smells  of  the  kitchen,  and  resembles  no  more  that  in  which  the  for- 
eign relations  of  the  country  are  laid  before  the  people  than  a 
scullion  does  a  gentleman.  The  language  is  intemperate,  the 
charges  against  the  bank  false  and  disingenuous,  and  the  measures 
recommended  injurious  to  the  public  interest. 

December  6.  —  Chancellor  and  Mrs.  Kent  and  some  other  friends 
took  tea  with  us.  They  came  soon  after  six  o'clock,  and  we 
passed  a  most  delightful  evening.  The  Chancellor  was  gay, 
cheerful,  and  talkative,  and  not  restless  as  he  is  wont  to  be. 
I  would  "  that  Heaven  had  made  me  such  a  man."  This  excel- 
lent man  is  in  his  seventy- second  year,  having  been  born  July  31, 
1763,  with  his  mental  faculties  unimpaired  and  still  improving, 
by  a  constant  but  not  laborious  employment  of  them  in  pursuits 
which  constitute  his  greatest  pleasure  and  recreation.  His  con- 
stitution sound,  the  happy  result  of  good  habits  and  a  cheerful 
disposition,  and  the  consciousness  of  purity  of  heart  and  uniformly 
virtuous  intentions.  I  do  not  know  so  perfect  a  model  as  Chan- 
cellor Kent,  or  a  man  so  much  to  be  envied.  I  wonder  how  he 
came  in  these  artificial  days  to  hit  upon  so  sensible  a  way  to 
pass  an  evening. 


1835-]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  125 


18 


03- 


THE  new  year  commences  auspiciously  so  far  as  the  weather 
is  concerned.  There  has  never  been  a  finer  New  Year's 
Day ;  the  air  is  clear  and  pleasant,  and  just  cool  enough  to  pre- 
serve the  snow,  which  gives  facility  to  the  visiting  part  of  the 
population.  I  went  out  in  the  sleigh  at  twelve  o'clock,  and 
visited  until  four,  leaving  several  of  my  visits  unpaid,  which 
delinquency  my  wife  and  I  made  up  in  the  evening.  Ikoad- 
way,  from  morning  until  night,  and  in  the  night  too,  was 
crowded  with  pedestrians,  and  the  music  of  sleigh-bells  was  heard 
without  the  least  intermission.  Smiling  faces  were  seen  on  all 
sides,  and  all  the  cares  and  troubles  of  1834  appear  to  have  been 
forgotten  in  the  joyful  anticipations  of  1S35.  The  year  which 
has  commenced  seems  destined  to  be  an  eventful  one,  at  home 
and  abroad.  The  administration  of  General  Jackson  and  the 
continuance  of  his  popularity  will  test  the  strength  of  our 
political  institutions.  If  the  people  continue  to  support  him  in 
his  most  unwarrantable  assumption  of  power,  it  will  be  idle  to 
talk  about  the  republican  principles  on  which  the  government  is 
founded.  But  among  other  difficulties  which  he  has  to  encounter 
during  the  coming  year  is  that  of  the  quarrel  with  France,  in 
which  his  unnecessary  threats  have  involved  us.  The  king  is 
disposed  to  do  us  justice  ;  t^ut  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  composed 
of  men  who  like  bullying  themselves,  will  not  submit  to  the  bully- 
ing of  others,  and  I  fear  that  our  government  has  been  committed 
by  the  President  too  far  to  admit  of  any  peaceable  compromise.* 
The  wisdom  of  Congress  may  save  us,  and  it  certainly  would,  if 
party-spirit  had  not  more  influence  than  a  regard  for  the  true 
interest  of  the  country.  But  to  the  Senate  we  may  yet  look  for 
patriotism  and  public  virtue,  and  there  we  rest  our  cause. 


126  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [-Etat.55. 


Fanny 
Keinble. 


Januarys.  —  Extracts  from  the  commonplace-book 
of  this  lady  (now  Mrs.  Butler)  are  published  in  one 
of  the  Boston  papers  and  copied  occasionally  into  the 
"  Commercial  Advertiser  "  of  this  city.  How  they  got  there  it  is 
impossible  to  say.  Gary  &  Lea,  of  Philadelphia,  say  in  an  adver- 
tisement that  if  they  are  genuine  they  must  have  been  stolen,  for 
they  are  the  only  legal  proprietors  of  the  work  in  this  country.  At 
any  rate,  if  she  has  any  good  feelings,  and  is  at  all  tenacious  of 
her  good  name  as  a  lady  or  an  authoress,  it  must  be  "a  sorry 
sight "  to  see  herself  thus  served  up  to  the  public  gaze.  There  is 
all  the  light  gossip,  the  childish  prejudice,  the  hasty  conclusions 
from  erroneous  first  impressions,  in  which  the  diary  of  an  imagina- 
tive youthful  traveller  in  a  country  in  which  all  things  are  new  and 
untried  may  be  supposed  to  abound ;  and  the  style  is  sometimes 
bad ;  and  the  remarks  she  makes  on  the  private  habits  of  persons 
who  received  her  and  her  father  kindly,  and  treated  them  hos- 
pitably, are  all  in  bad  taste.  As  a  literary  production  it  is  unworthy 
of  the  character  of  Fanny  Kemble,  and  its  publication,  now  that 
she  has  become  the  wife  of  an  American  gentleman  and  is  to 
remain  among  us,  injudicious  in  the  extreme.  I  cannot  beheve 
that  she  ever  intended  it  should  see  the  light,  and  should  be  led  to 
believe  it  a  fabrication  were  it  not  that  the  facts  related  are  true 
(many  of  them  within  my  own  knowledge),  and  of  a  nature  to  pre- 
clude the  possibility  of  their  becoming  public  without  her  knowledge 
and  consent.  For  instance,  she  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
dinner  I  gave  to  her  and  her  father  on  the  15  th  of  September,  1832, 
—  the  first  occasion  on  which  she  was  introduced  into  American 
society.  It  was  evidently  written  on  the  evening  of  the  very  day, 
and  with  all  the  flippancy  and  want  of  reflection  that  one  might 
expect  to  find  in  the  commonplace-book  of  a  giddy  girl  who  had 
just  returned  from  a  dinner-party  in  which  herself  was  the  principal 
object  of  notice  and  attention,  and  from  which,  I  can  tell  her,  she 
went  away  leaving  no  very  favourable  impressions  behind  her. 
Now,  if  Mrs.  Butler  participated  in  the  publication  of  all  this  tittle- 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  12/ 

tattle  she  is  a  greater  fool  than  ever  I  expected  it  would  fall  to  my 
lot  to  record  her.  Well  was  it  said,  "  Oh,  that  mine  enemy  would 
write  a  book  !  "     IMrs.  l>utler  says  : 

"Saturday,   15th. —  At    five  dressed  and  went  to ,  where 

we  were  to  dine.  This  is  one  of  the  first  houses  here  "  (thank 
you,  madam  !),  "so  I  conclude  that  I  am  to  consider  what  I  see  as 
a  tolerable  sample  of  the  ways  and  manners  of  being,  doing,  and 
sttffering  of  the  best  society  in  New  York.  There  were  about 
twenty  people.  The  women  were  in  a  sort  of  French  demi-toilette, 
with  bare  necks  and  long  sleeves,  heads  frizzled  out  after  the  very 
last'  petit-courier,  and  thread-net  handkerchiefs  and  capes,  the 
whole  of  which,  to  my  English  eye,  appeared  a  strange  marrying  of 
incongruities.  .  .  .  The  younger  daughter  of  our  host  is  beautiful, 
—  a  young  and  brilliant  likeness  of  Ellen  Tree  ;  with  more  refine- 
ment, and  a  smile  that  was,  not  to  say  a  ray,  but  a  whole  focus  of 
sun-rays,  —  a  perfect  blaze  of  light ;  she  was  much  taken  up  with  a 
youth,  to  whom,  my  neighbour  at  dinner  informed  me,  she  was 
engaged." 

I  can  excuse  many  of  her  impertinences  for  this  glowing  and 
just  eulogium  upon  my  sweet  Mary.  The  following  contrast  be- 
tween the  delicate  and  interesting  appearance  of  the  ladies  and  the 
ruddy  looks  of  English  women  are,  unhappily,  not  far  from  the 
truth  :  — 

"  The  women  here,  like  those  of  most  warm  climates,  ripen 
very  early  and  decay  proportionately  soon.  They  are,  generally 
speaking,  pretty,  with  good  complexions,  and  an  air  of  fresh- 
ness and  brilliancy,  but  this,  I  am  told,  is  very  evanescent ;  and 
whereas,  in  England,  a  woman  is  in  the  bloom  of  health  and 
beauty  from  twenty- five  to  thirty,  here  they  scarcely  reach  the  first 
period  without  being  faded  and  looking  old.  They  marry  very 
young,  and  this  is  another  reason  why  age  comes  prematurely 
upon  them.  There  was  a  fair  young  thing  at  dinner  to-day  who 
did  not  look  above  seventeen,  and  she  is  a  wife."  (Mrs.  Alex- 
ander Hosack,  I  presume.)      "  As  for  their  figures,  like  those  of 


128  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

French  women,  they  were  too  well  dressed  for  one  to  judge  what 
they  really  are  like  ;  they  are,  for  the  most  part,  short  and  slight, 
with  remarkably  pretty  feet  and  ankles ;  but  there's  too  much 
pelerine  and  petticoat  and  de  quoi  of  every  sort  to  guess  anything 
more.  The  climate  of  this  country  is  the  scape-goat  upon  which 
all  the  ill-looks  and  ill-health  of  the  ladies  is  laid ;  but  while  they 
are  brought  up  as  effeminately  as  they  are,  take  as  little  exercise, 
live  in  rooms  like  ovens  during  the  winter,  and  marry  as  early  as 
they  do,  it  will  appear  evident  that  many  causes  combine  with  an 
extremely  variable  climate  to  sallow  their  complexions  and  destroy 
their  constitutions." 

Now  for  the  portrait  of  my  friend,  Dom.  Lynch.    "  There  was  a 

ISIr.  ,  the  Magnus  Apollo  of  New  York,  who  is  a  musical 

genius,  sings  as  well  as  any  gentleman  need  sing,  pronounces  Ital- 
ian well,  and  accompanies  himself  without  false  chords,  all  of 
which  renders  him  the  man  round  whom  (as  round  H.  G.,  Lord 
C,  and  pretty  Lord  O.,  in  our  own  country)  the  women  listen  and 
languish.  He  sang  the  '  Phantom  Bark.'  The  last  time  I  heard 
it  was  from  the  lips  of  Moore,  with  two  of  the  loveliest  faces  in  all 
the  world  hanging  over  him,  Mrs.  N.  and  Mrs.  B.  By  the  bye,  the 
man  who  sat  next  to  me  at  dinner  was  asking  me  all  manner  of 
questions  about  Mrs.  N.,  among  others  whether  she  was  as  '  pale 
as  a  poetess  ought  to  be.'  Oh,  how  I  wish  Corinne  had  heard 
that  herself!  what  a  deal  of  funny  scorn  would  have  looked 
beautiful  on  her  rich  brown  cheek  and  brilliant  lips.  The  dinner 
was  plenteous  (that  is  the  word)  and  tolerably  well  dressed" 
(Peter  Van  Dyke  ought  to  make  her  half  z.  bow  for  that  compli- 
ment), "but  ill- served;  there  were  not  half  servants  enough  to  do 
the  work "  (John  Stokes  is  not  very  ornamental,  but  tolerably 
useful,  and  the  others  are  rather  smartish,  I  think,  but  I  have  no 
servants  in  orange-coloured  inexpressibles  with  tinsel  epaulettes ; 
when  she  comes  again,  I  will  endeavour  to  procure  a  bevy  of  them 
from  Colonel  Berkeley,  or  some  other  of  her  distinguished  coun- 
trymen), "and  we  had  neither  water-glasses"  (in  this  I  think  she 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  1 29 

is  mistaken,  we  are  never  without  them),  "nor,  oh,  horror!  that 
absoUite  indispensable,  —  finger-glasses.  Now,  though  I  don't  eat 
with  my  fingers  (except  peaches),  whereat,  I  think,  the  abo- 
rigines "  (oh,  for  shame,  Miss  Kemble,  to  compare  Mrs.  Davis, 
General  Fleming,  and  Uominick  Lynch  to  wild  savages  !),"  who 
were  pealing  theirs  like  so  many  potatoes,  seemed  to  me  rather 
amazed.  Yet  I  do  hold  a  finger-glass,  at  the  conclusion  of  my  din- 
ner, a  requisite  almost  to  my  digestion.  However,  as  it  happened, 
I  digested  without  it." 

With  all  submission  I  disagree  with  my  fastidious  guest.  I 
don't  eat  with  my  fingers,  and  therefore  do  not  require  finger- 
glasses.  We  have  them  in  the  house,  but  do  not  frequently  use 
them.  I  think  it  unseemly  to  see  a  company  at  the  dinner-table, 
particularly  the  female  part,  washing  'their  hands,  rinsing  their 
mouths,  rubbing  their  gums  with  the  finger,  anil  squirting  the  pol- 
luted water  back  into  the  vessel,  as  was  formerly  the  fashion  in  this 
country,  a  fashion  which  prevails  yet  in  England  in  the  higher 
circles. 

"After  dinner  we  had  coffee,  but  no  tea,  whereat  my  English 
stomach  was  in  high  dudgeon.     The  gentlemen  did  not  sit  long, 

and  when    they  joined    us    Mr.  ,  as  I    said    before,  uttered 

sweet   sounds.     By  the  bye,  I  was   not  a   little  amused  at   Mrs. 

"   (my  wife  takes  this  to   herself),  "asking   me   whether  I 

had  heard  of  his  singing,  or  their  musical  soirees,  and  seeming  all 
but  surprised  that  I  had  no  revelations  of  either,  across  the 
Atlantic.  Mercy  on  me  !  what  fools  people  are  all  over  the  world  ! 
the  worst  is,  they  are  all  fools  of  the  same  sort,  and  there  is  no 
profit  whatever  in  travelling.  Mr.  B "  (Bankhead,  the  Brit- 
ish secretary  of  legation),  "  who  is  an  Englishman,  happened  to  ask 

me  if  I   knew  Captain  ,  whereupon  we  immediately  struck 

up   a   conversation,    and    talked   over   English   folk    and    doings 

together,  to  my  entire  satisfaction.     The  were  there  ;  he  is  a 

brother  of  that  wondrous  ruler  of  the  spirits  whom  I  do  so  dislike 
in  London,  and  his  lady  is  a  daughter  of  Lord  ."     (These 


I30  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

are  ISIr.  and  Mrs.  Cornwall,  and  she  is  welcome  to  say  what  she 
pleases  of  them.  We  had  better  folk  than  they  in  our  party  that 
daw)  "  I  was  \-cry  glad  to  come  home.  I  sang  to  them  two  or 
three  things,  but  the  piano  was  pitched  too  high  for  my  voice ; 
by  the  bye,  in  that  large,  lofty,  fine  room  they  had  a  tiny,  old- 
fashioned,  becurtained  cabinet  piano,  stuck  right  against  the  wall, 
unto  which  the  singer's  face  was  turned,  and  into  which  his  voice 
was  absorbed."  (I'm  afraid  she  is  right  about  the  piano.  I  wish 
she  knew  that  I  bought  it  upon  Dr.  McLean's  recommendation, 
who  has  some  conceit  of  himself  in  these  matters,  and  that  it  cost 
me  seven  hundred  dollars.)  "  We  had  hardly  regained  our  inn, 
and  uncloaked,  when  there  came  a  tap  at  the  door,  and  in  walked 

Mr.  "   (Cornwall  again),  "to  ask  me  if  we  would  not  join 

them,  himself  and  the  ,  at  supper ;  he  said  that,  besides  five 

being  a  great  deal  too  early  to  dine,  he  had  not  half  dinner  enough  " 
(the  Turk  !  he  ate  like  an  ox),  "and  then  began  the  regular  Eng- 
lish quizzing  of  everything  and  everybody  we  had  left  behind.  Oh, 
dear  !  oh,  dear  !  how  thoughtfully  English  it  was,  and  how  it  re- 
minded me  of  H ;  of  course  we  did  not  accept  their  invitation, 

but  it  furnished  me  matter  of  amusement.  How  we  English  folk 
do  cling  to  our  own  habits,  our  own  views,  our  own  things,  our  own 
people ;  how,  in  spite  of  all  our  wanderings  and  scatterings  over  the 
whole  face  of  the  earth,  like  so  many  Jews,  we  never  lose  our  dis- 
tinct and  national  individuality,  nor  fail  to  lay  hold  of  one  another's 
skirts,  to  laugh  at  and  depreciate  all  that  differs  from  that  country 
which  we  delight  in  forsaking  for  any  and  all  others." 

January  6. — Mr.  Adams  delivered  on  Wednesday  last,  at  the 
Capitol,  a  eulogy  upon  the  character  of  Lafayette,  to  which  duty 
he  was  appointed  by  a  vote  of  Congress  at  their  last  session.  It 
is  agreed  on  all  hands  and  by  all  parties  to  have  been  a  masterly 
production.  It  was  a  subject  to  call  out  the  fine  talents  of  the 
accomplished  scholar  and  orator,  and  it  was  precisely  the  kind  of 
"labour"  which  Mr.  Adams  "would  delight  in."  It  would  appear, 
however,  from  the   following  gossip  of  the  "  Spy  "  in  Washington 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  131 

that  the  "  greatest  and  best  "  and  "  New  York's  favourite  son  "  do 
not  consider  it  good  poHcy  to  bestow  unquaHfied  praise  upon 
the  man  whom  they  have  heretofore  united  to  pull  down  :  "  After 
Mr.  Adams  had  delivered,  on  Wednesday  last,  his  masterly  eulogy 
on  General  Lafayette,  a  gentleman  asked  the  President  (Mr.  Van 
Buren  being  present)  how  he  was  pleased  with  the  address.  The 
venerable  Christian,  pausing  a  few  seconds,  coolly  replied,  '  There 
are  some  good  things  in  it,  but  Mr.  Adams  fails  very  much  ;  don't 
you  think  he  does,  Mr.  Van  Buren?'  'Very  much,'  repeated 
echo." 

January  10.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  :  Bishop 
Onderdonk,  Dr.  Hosack,  Bishop  Smith,  of  Kentucky ;  Mr.  Peter 
A.  Jay,  Mr,  Harrison  G.  Otis,  Mr.  W.  Johnson,  Chancellor  Kent, 
Mr,  D,  S,  Jones,  President  Duer,  and  Mr.  P.  Schermerhom. 

January  14,  —  The  rage  for  speculating  in  lands  on  Long  Island 
is  one  of  the  bubbles  of  the  day.  Men  in  moderate  circumstances 
have  become  immensely  ricli,  merely  by  the  good  fortune  of  own- 
ing farms  of  a  (tw  acres  of  this  chosen  land.  Abraham  Schermer- 
hom has  sold  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  at 
Gowannes,  three  miles  from  Brookl>Ti,  at  $600  per  acre ;  four 
years  ago,  having  got  out  of  conceit  of  it  as  a  residence,  he 
offered  it  for  sale  at  $20,000,  and  would  have  taken  $18,000;  to- 
day he  pockets  $102,000,  and  regrets  that  Tie  sold  it  so  cheap  ! 

February  12.  —  Died  on  Saturday  last,  in  Baltimore,  Mr.  William 
Patterson,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  was  formerly  a 
distinguished  merchant  of  that  city,  the  father  of  Jerome  Bona- 
parte's wife,  who  was  separated  from  her  husband  by  order  of 
Napoleon,  who  did  not  think  it  becoming  when  he  placed  a  crown 
on  his  brother's  head  that  his  throne  and  royal  honours  should  be 
shared  by  the  daughter  of  an  American  republican.  It  is  not  un- 
likely that  about  these  times  the  ci-devant  king  of  Westphalia 
would  have  no  objection  to  return  to  the  object  of  his  first  love. 
There  is  a  son  by  this  marriage,  who  married  a  Miss  Williams,  a 
handsome  girl  with  a  large  fortune.     They  live  in  Baltimore,  in 


132  THE   DIARY   OF    nilLIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  55. 

very  good  style.  I  have  partaken  of  the  hospitality  of  this  gentle- 
man. It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  the  three  men  who  held,  the 
most  distinguished  place  in  the  great  commvuiity  of  merchants 
which  imparted  wealth,  splendour,  and  character  to  Baltimore  have 
all  died  within  about  a  year,  leaving  good  names  and  large  fortunes 
to  their  children.  Alexander  Brown,  Robert  Oliver,  and  William 
Patterson  might  at  one  time  have  been  considered  the  royal  mer- 
chants of  America,  as  the  Medici  of  old  were  of  Italy. 

February  14.  —  Dr.  Mott's  dinner  took  place  on  Tuesday  last, 
at  the  City  Hotel.  Dr.  David  Hosack  presided,  and  made  a  good 
speech,  which  was  well  replied  to  by  the  respectable  recipient 
of  the  compliment.  The  vice-presidents  were  Doctors  McLean, 
Stearns,  MacNeven,  A.  L.  Anderson,  S.  W.  Moore,  and  Francis. 
The  toasts,  regular  and  volunteer,  were  given  in  small  doses,  and 
as  the  gentlemen  of  the  faculty  had  to  take  them  themselves,  they 
were  neither  mipalatable  nor  violent  in  their  operation.  They 
toasted  each  other  broiun,  and  said  many  pretty  things,  all 
but  Dr.  Rhinelander;  this  gentleman  is  not  in  very  good  odour 
with  some  of  his  brethren,  from  the  circumstance  of  his  having 
intrigued  with  his  political  friends  in  the  board  of  regents  to  get 
Dr.  Augustine  Smith  removed  and  himself  appointed  to  a  profes- 
sor's chair  in  the  College  of  Physicians.  So  when  his  turn  came 
to  give  a  toast,  he  did  certainly  infuse  a  dash  of  wormwood  into  the 
draught,  which  the  sons  of  Esculapius  had  to  swallow.  Sheridan 
himself  would  have  been  gratified  at  this  new  application  of  his 
joke,  —  "  The  medical  profession,  when  they  all  agree,  their  una- 
nimity is  wonderful."  By  Dr.  Gilford  :  "  Dr.  Mott,  by  cutting  an 
acquaintance,  he  often  saves  a  friend."     Not  so  bad. 

I  attended  this  evening  a  meeting  at  Washington  Hall  of  a 
number  of  New  Yorkers,  with  a  design  to  form  a  regular  Knicker- 
bocker society,  as  a  sort  of  set-off  against  St.  Patrick's,  St.  George's, 
and  more  particularly  the  New  England.  The  meeting  was  large 
and  exceedingly  respectable  ;  there  were  the  Irvings,  Moores,  Mc- 
Vickars,  Renwicks,  Rapelje,  Stuyvesant,  Laight,  Fish,  ^^'ilkins,  the 


i835l  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  133 

Schermerhoms,  Brinckerhoffs,  Costers,  Golden,  etc., — a  goodly  show 
of  good  fellows  who  will  not  disgrace  their  ancestors.  Bloodgood 
was  chairman  and  Washington  Irving  secretary.  A  committee  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  Peter  Schermerhorn,  Judge  Irving,  Alex- 
ander Wyckoff,  Hamilton  P'ish,  Dr.  IManley,  and  the  president  and 
secretary,  to  report  a  constitution  and  by-laws  to  a  future  meeting, 
I  suppose  we  shall  have  a  few  annual  dinners,  which  will  be  pretty 
much  all  that  will  grow  out  of  this  project. 

February  17.  —  The  proceedings  in  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States  have  become  very  interesting  within  a  few  days.  During  the 
discussion  of  a  bill  brought  forward  by  Mr.  Calhoun  to  restrain  ex- 
ecutive patronage,  which  has  brought  out  the  most  virulent  opposition 
of  the  friends  of  General  Jackson,  Benton,  the  fiercest  tiger  in  the 
den,  insulted  Mr.  Calhoun  by  charging  him  with  falsehood.  The 
accomplished  Carolinian  was  compelled  to  notice  it,  and  Benton 
was  called  to  order.  The  Vice-President,  by  some  casuistical  defi- 
nition of  parliamentary  practice,  pronounced  the  gentleman  not  out 
of  order.  Mr.  Webster  appealed  from  this  decision,  and  his  ap- 
peal was  sustained  by  a  vote  of  24  to  20.  There  is  some  talk 
about  Mr.  Calhoun  challenging  Benton ;  but  it  cannot  be.  I  would 
as  soon  think  of  challenging  one  of  the  hyenas  in  the  zoological 
institution  for  snapping  at  me  as  I  passed  his  den. 

March  14.  —  The  packet-ship  "Rhone"  arrived  yesterday 
from  Havre,  bringing  Paris  accounts  to  1 1  th  ult.  They  are  highly 
favourable  to  amicable  settlement  of  our  affairs  with  France.  Mr. 
Clay's  able  report,  with  the  resolution  which  accompanied  it  and 
was  passed  unanimously  by  the  Senate  in  January  last,  was  received 
in  Paris  on  the  7th  of  February,  and  had  precisely  the  effect  which 
I  predicted.  It  healed  the  wounded  pride  of  the  French  govern- 
ment and  people ;  it  convinced  them  that  the  menacing  proposal 
to  grant  letters  of  marque  and  reprisal  was  only  the  act  of  the 
President,  and  would  not  be  sanctioned  by  the  legislature  of  the 
nation,  and  there  was  litde  doubt  that  the  Chamber  of  Deputies 
would  pass  the  Indemnity  Bill.     Thus  has  the  patriotic  majority  in 


134  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

the  Senate  once  more  interposed  to  save  the  country  from  a 
vexatious  and  unnecessary  war,  without  the  slightest  sacrifice 
of  national  honour,  although  it  is  quite  likely  that  Jackson  will 
get  the  credit  of  it. 

March    16.  —  The    frigate   "Constitution,"   under 
Old  Ironsides.  Command    of    Commodore    Elliot,    got    under    way 

yesterday  morning,  and  went  to  sea.  She  goes  to 
France,  from  which  place,  if  the  Indemnity  Bill  should  not  have 
been  passed,  she  will  receive  on  board  the  American  Minister 
and  his  family  and  return  to  the  United  States,  but  if  the  bill 
should  have  become  a  law  she  will  join  the  squadron  in  the 
Mediterranean.  Commodore  Elliot  went  on  Saturday  evening 
to  the  Bowery  Theatre  to  receive  the  homage  of  his  suburban 
admirers,  and  as  some  opposition  was  apprehended  from  those 
who  were  opposed  to  the  worship  of  the  golden  calf,  or  of 
him  who  set  it  up,  he  was  accompanied  by  a  guard  of  forty 
marines  with  side-arms  ;  but  it  proved  unnecessary :  not  a  Whig 
was  to  be  seen,  and  nothing  occurred  to  mar  his  triumph,  or  in- 
terrupt the  shouts  of  those  who  went  to  cry.  Huzza  for  Jackson  ! 
Huzza  for  Elliot ! 

I    went  to  the  Book  Club  with  Charles  King  and 
Book  Club.       Davis   at   nine   o'clock.     This  is  a  club  which  meets 

every  other  Thursday  evening  at  Washington  Hotel, 
where  they  sup,  drink  champagne  and  whiskey  punch,  talk  as  well 
as  they  know  how,  and  run  each  other  good-humouredly.  I  have 
been  admitted  a  member  after  having  refused  several  applications, 
for  I  have  already  more  engagements  than  I  wish ;  but  this  is  a 
very  pleasant  set  of  fellows.  They  sit  pretty  late,  however,  for  I 
came  away  at  one  o'clock  and  left  the  party  seated  at  the  supper- 
table.  I  don't  exactly  understand  why  this  is  called  a  Book  Club, 
for  the  book  of  subscription  to  the  expenses  is,  I  suspect,  the  only 
one  in  the  library.  Our  party  this  evening  consisted  of  about 
twenty ;  viz.,  Davis,  President  Duer,  Charles  King,  Wilkins,  William 
Kent,    Harvey,   Arthur   Barclay,    Isaac    Hone,    Halleck,    Ogden 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILIP   HONE.  135 

Hoffman,  Patterson,   Blunt,   Dr.  Francis,  Baron  Behr,    Mr.   Tre- 
lawny,  author  of  the  "  Younger  Son,"  Beverly  Robinson,  etc. 

March    23. —  This   great  work,    which   is   to   cost 
ew    or   an   j^-jjjqj^^  yf  doUars,  was  undertaken  by  a  company  who 

Erie  Railroad.  '  j  i        j 

applied  to  the  present  Legislature  for  a  loan  of  the 
credit  of  the  State  to  the  amount  of  two  millions,  to  aid  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  their  undertaking.  This  application  occasioned  a 
warm  debate ;  promises  were  freely  made  previous  to  the  late  elec- 
tion that  the  bill  should  pass,  whereby  the  votes  of  the  middle  and 
southern  counties  were  secured  to  the  dominant  party,  but  after  a 
severe  struggle  the  question  was  decided  on  Friday  evening  by  a 
vote  of  sixty-one  to  forty-six.  The  majority  may  have  had  good 
reasons,  for  aught  I  know,  but  it  is  understood  that  the  most  pre- 
vailing one  was  that  James  G.  King  was  one  of  the  leading  men  in 
the  enterprise,  and  he  is  a  Whig ;  liberal  he  certainly  is,  and  pub- 
lic-spirited and  enlightened,  but  he  is  a  Whig,  and  does  not  wear 
the  Jackson  collar,  and  it  was  exceedingly  simple  in  the  projectors 
of  this  great  work  to  ask  favours  of  the  present  Legislature  with  such 
an  encumbrance  ;  if  the  State-House  was  on  fire  they  would  not 
allow  it  to  be  extinguished  by  a  Whig  fireman.  I  wonder  the 
statesmen  at  Albany  do  not  pass  a  law  to  deprive  all  but  Jackson 
men  of  the  privilege  of  voting  at  elections,  or  holding  real  estate, 
and  making  it  treason  for  the  butchers  and  bakers  to  sell  them 
meat  and  bread. 

ALvRCH  28. —  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webster  arrived  in  town  last  evening 
from  Philadelphia.  He  is  going  home  to  Boston  on  Wednesday, 
and  she  will  remain  here  with  her  friends  for  a  week  or  two.  Mr. 
Webster  came  this  evening  and  drank  tea  with  us,  and  delighted  us 
for  an  hour  with  his  conversation.  He  talked  about  trout-fishing, 
Plymouth,  Cape  Cod,  and  Nantucket,  and  his  eloquence  made 
those  trifling  subjects  interesting  as  those  of  more  serious  import, 
which  it  so  ably  illustrates  and  adorns.  He  and  I  agreed  to  make 
an  excursion  together  in  the  month  of  June  next,  from  Boston  to 
New  Bedford  and  Nantucket,  in  which    I    promise    myself  great 


136  THE   DIARY   OF   TIIILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

pleasure.  Mr.  Webster's  description  of  that  part  of  the  State  of 
Massachusetts  ;  the  primitive  manners  of  the  people  of  Nantucket ; 
the  homogeneous  nature  of  the  institutions  and  social  customs,  and 
the  isolated  pride  of  their  sea-girt  territory,  —  has  awakened  in  me  a 
curiosity  which  will  be  gratified  in  this  proposed  excursion,  and  I 
shall  enjoy  in  perfection  the  delightful  society  of  a  man  who,  in 
his  hours  of  relaxation,  is  playful  and  agreeable  as  he  is  great  in 
the  discharge  of  his  public  duties. 

April  2.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Abraham  Ogden.  We  had  a  very 
pleasant  dinner.  Mr.  Webster  was  there,  and  Mr.  H.  G.  Otis,  and 
Meredith.  The  great  senator  has  been  more  uniformly  cheerful 
during  his  present  visit  than  I  have  ever  seen  him,  and  he  is,  when 
"  in  the  vein,"  one  of  the  best  talkers  in  the  world.  Mr.  Otis, 
when  the  tyrant  of  the  limbs  allows  him  to  dine  out,  is  always  a 
most  delightful  companion  ;  his  voice  is  perfect  music,  his  choice  of 
words  scrupulously  nice,  and  talent  gives  a  charm  to  his  narrative, 
which  makes  his  hearers  regret  that  his  longest  stories  should  ever 
come  to  an  end.  He  appears  to  me  sometimes  a  little  pedantic 
and  too  studious  of  effect,  but  no  man  of  taste  and  feeling  can 
listen  to  him  during  the  social  hours  of  a  dinner-party  without  im- 
provement and  delight.  My  friend  Meredith  is  also  an  excellent 
diner-out,  of  a  more  joyous  temperament  than  either  of  the  above- 
named  persons.  He  laughs  louder,  and  his  flashes,  if  not  brighter, 
are  sharper.  He  is  a  fine  scholar,  a  good  dramatic  critic,  and 
Shakesperian  to  the  very  letter.  He  was  to  have  gone  with  me  to 
the  reading  club  this  evening,  but  was  not  very  well,  and  had  to 
make  preparation  for  his  departure  to-morrow  morning. 

April  8.  —  The  political  aspect  of  the  country  is  worse  than 
ever  :  "  In  the  lowest  depth,  a  lower  still  is  found."  General  Jack- 
son's star  is  still  in  the  ascendant,  and  shines  brighter  than  ever ; 
the  returns  of  the  election  in  Connecticut,  which  was  held  last 
week,  prove,  as  far  as  they  have  been  received,  that  his  party  have 
succeeded  in  that  Yankee  State.  Our  charter  election  comes  on 
next  week,  and  I  presume  we  shall  be  beaten.     The  Jackson  people 


1835.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  137 

have  rencminated  Mr.  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence  as  Mayor,  and  the 
Whigs  will  not  oppose  him,  I  am  glad  of  it,  for  if  we  do  not  take 
him  we  shall  have  a  worse  man ;  indeed,  I  have  been  well  pleased 
with  his  conduct  during  the  first  year  of  his  mayoralty,  and  he 
would  have  had  my  cheerful  support  but  for  the  circumstance  of 
his  having  recently  vetoed  a  resolution  of  the  Common  Council 
which  recommended  to  the  Legislature  the  passage  of  a  law  to  reg- 
ister the  votes.  This  is  a  measure  so  obviously  proper  to  secure 
the  purity  of  our  elections,  and  so  loudly  called  for,  especially  in 
this  city,  by  all  who  desire  to  preserve  the  peace  and  good  order 
which  ought  to  prevail  at  such  times,  that  nothing  but  a  blind  de- 
votion to  party  could  have  influenced  the  Mayor  in  his  opposition 
to  a  measure  so  salutary.  I  hoped  better  things  from  that  gentle- 
man. Notwithstanding  this  untoward  state  of  political  affairs,  the 
country  generally  is  in  a  prosperous  state,  and  the  city  of  New 
York  peculiarly  so.  All  descriptions  of  property  are  higher  than  I 
have  ever  known  them.  Money  is  plenty ;  business  brisk ;  the 
staple  commodity  of  the  country  (cotton)  has  enriched  all  through 
whose  hands  it  has  passed.  The  merchant,  mechanic,  and  propri- 
etor all  rejoice  in  the  result  of  the  last  year's  operations. 

April  10.  —  The  weather  being  fine  and  spring-like,  I  walked  for 
an  hour  before  dinner  with  my  wife  on  the  Battery.  Strange  as  it 
is,  I  do  not  think  that  either  of  us  had  done  such  a  thing  in  the 
last  seven  years  ;  and  what  a  beautiful  spot  it  is  !  The  grounds  are 
in  fine  order ;  the  noble  bay,  with  the  opposite  shores  of  New 
Jersey,  Staten  and  Long  Islands,  vessels  of  every  description, 
from  the  noble,  well-appointed  Liverpool  packet  to  the  little 
market  craft,  and  steamers  arriving  from  every  point,  give  life 
and  animation  to  a  prospect  unexcelled  by  any  city  view  in 
the  world.  It  would  be  worth  travelling  one  hundred  miles 
out  of  one's  way  in  a  foreign  country  to  get  a  sight  of,  and  yet 
we  citizens  of  New  York,  who  have  it  all  under  our  noses,  seldom 
enjoy  it.  Like  all  other  enjoyments,  it  loses  its  value  from  being 
too  easily  obtained. 


138  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^Etat.  55. 

I  have  passed  a  few  hours  deUghtfully  in  reading 
e    rayon     -Wa^giiinorton  Irving's  "  Tour  on  the  Prairies."     It  is  of 

Miscellany.  °  ° 

the  very  best  kind  of  light  reading ;  like  the  violet  of 
the  spring,  it  exhales  a  refreshing  mental  fragrance,  which  soon 
passes  away  and  leaves  the  mind  conscious  only  that  it  was  some- 
thing very  sweet.  The  charm  of  the  book  is  the  easy,  graceful 
manner  of  describing  the  events  of  a  tour  of  great  interest,  cer- 
tainly to  such  persons  as  Ellsworth,  Irving,  and  Latrobe,  because 
such  people  seldom  undertake  expeditions  of  the  kind.  Killing 
buffaloes,  hunting  wild  horses,  sleeping  every  night  on  the  ground 
for  a  whole  month,  and  depending  from  day  to  day  for  the  means 
of  subsistence  on  the  deer,  wild  turkeys,  and  bears  which  the  rifles 
of  their  own  party  alone  can  procure, — all  events  of  ordinary  occur- 
rence to  the  settlers  of  the  great  West,  but  matters  of  thrilling 
interest  to  comfortable  citizens  who  read  of  them  in  their  green 
slippers,  seated  before  a  shining  grate,  the  neatly  printed  page 
illuminated  by  a  bronze  astral  lamp ;  or  to  the  sensitive  young  lady 
who,  drawing  up  her  delicate  little  feet  on  the  crimson  damask  sofa, 
shudders  at  the  hardships  which  the  adventurous  tourist  has  under- 
gone, "and  loves  him  for  the  dangers  he  has  passed."  The  intro- 
duction to  this  little  bijou  affords  the  author  the  first  opportunity 
he  has  had  since  his  return  from  Europe  to  speak  of  himself,  his 
success  abroad,  the  doubts  which  filled  his  mind  as  to  the  un- 
changed affection  of  his  countrymen,  and  to  the  removal  of  those 
doubts,  and  the  overflowing  of  his  heart  by  the  kind  reception 
which  awaited  him  on  his  arrival. 

April  23.  —  Francis  B.  Cutting  and  Robert  Bayard  bought 
two  or  three  years  ago  the  country-place,  as  it  then  was,  of  the 
late  William  Bayard,  for  a  sum  between  ^50,000  and  ^60,000 
(a  great  price  at  that  time),  and  sold  it  at  auction  in  lots  the  day 
before  yesterday  for  $225,000.  David  S.  Jones  sold  yesterday 
at  auction,  in  lots,  the  former  country-seat  of  Mr.  Harrison,  which 
he  bought  about  two  years  since,  and  made  a  profit  of  $85,000. 
Real   estate  is  high,  beyond  all  the  calculation  of  the  most  san- 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 39 

guine  speculators.  Immense  fortunes  have  been  made  and  real- 
ized within  the  last  three  months,  and  everything  is  dear  but 
money.  There  must  come  a  change ;  and  when  it  does,  woe  to 
those  who  are  caught !  This  distribution  of  property,  however, 
by  small  lots,  will  divide  the  losses  when  the  e\-il  day  comes,  and 
they  will  not  be  felt  in  the  same  degree  by  any,  as  the  profits  are 
now  by  a  few. 

April  24.  —  A  great  foot-race,  which  has  occupied  the  mind  of 
the  fancy  for  several  months  past,  took  place  this  day  on  the 
Union  Race  Course,  Long  Island.  It  originated  in  a  large  bet 
between  John  C.  Stevens  and  Samuel  L.  Gouverneur,  that  the 
former  would  produce  by  a  given  time  a  man  who  should  run  ten 
miles  within  an  hour,  for  which  he  offered  a  reward  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  three  hundred  more  if  it  was  performed  by  one 
only.  This  was  the  day  fixed  for  the  exploit,  and  without  intend- 
ing it  by  any  means,  when  I  arose  this  morning  I  found  myself, 
with  Robert,  in  the  barouche,  enveloped  in  clouds  of  dust,  and  our 
faces  lacerated  by  a  north-west  wind  which  came  loaded,  not  with 
ambrosial  sweets,  but  with  a  sort  of  concentration  of  razor-blades, 
on  the  road  to  the  race-course,  jostled  by  every  description  of 
vehicle,  conveying  every  description  of  people.  The  crowd  on  the 
ground  was  as  great,  I  think,  as  at  the  famous  Eclipse  race,  and 
immense  sums  were  betted  by  men  who  find  it  difficult  to  pay  their 
honest  debts,  and  by  hopeful  boys,  who  have  to  square  the  amount 
of  their  losses  from  the  reluctant  pockets  of  fathers  who,  had  they 
been  thriftless  and  improvident  as  their  progeny,  would  have 
brought  them  up  to  qualify  them  for  holding  the  horses  which  they 
now  proudly  drive. 

At  one  o'clock  nine  men  started  for  the  prize.  They  all  came 
around  the  first  three  miles,  each  within  six  minutes,  and  the  first 
five  miles  were  performed  by  five  of  the  number  within  half  an 
hour.  They  then  began  to  give  in,  and  three  only  ran  the  whole 
ten  miles.  One  man  alone  won  the  race,  performing  the  ten  miles 
in   fifty-nine    minutes   forty-eight    seconds.     His   name  is    Henry 


140  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

Stannard,  a  farmer,  aged  twenty-four  years,  born  in  Killingworth, 
Conn.,  tall  and  thin,  weighing  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  pounds. 
He  appeared  to  me  exactly  of  the  size  and  form  for  such  an  under- 
taking, with  much  bone  and  muscle  and  very  little  fat.  He  was  not 
distressed  by  his  effort,  made  a  speech  to  the  populace,  who  cheered 
him  with  loud  applause,  sprang  upon  a  horse  and  rode  around  the 
course  on  which  he  had  gained  his  laurels. 

April  25. — A  man  named  Clayton  made  an  ascen- 
Baiiooning.  sion  a  fcw  days  since  from  Cincinnati  in  a  style  of  ad- 
venture more  splendid  than  any  hitherto  attempted. 
He  gave  notice  that  he  meant  to  remain  in  the  air  as  long  as  his 
supply  of  gas  continued.  He  started  at  five  o'clock  P.M.,  went  to 
sleep  at  a  good  regular  hour  in  his  car,  travelled  four  hundred 
miles,  made  fast  his  balloon  at  two  o'clock  to  the  top  of  a  tree  on 
one  of  the  mountains  of  Virginia,  and  then  returned  leisurely  home 
to  relate  his  adventures.  We  run  faster,  sail  smarter,  dive  deeper, 
and  fly  farther  than  any  other  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

April  30.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us:  Mr. 
Armour,  Dom.  Lynch,  Washington  Irving,  Robert  Ray,  Peter 
Schermerhorn,  Jonathan  Goodhue,  G.  G.  Howland,  James  G. 
King,  and  Isaac  Hone. 

The  return  of  May  brings  with  it  its  usual  accompaniment  of 
pulling  down  and  altering  houses.  The  streets  are  beginning  to  be 
filled  with  rubbish,  and  to  increase  the  troubles  of  our  locomotive 
citizens  a  new  easterly  storm  is  setting  in,  in  which  beds  and  book- 
cases, chairs,  carpets,  and  crockery,  will  be  exposed  to  damage. 

The  rise  of  lots  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city  goes  on  without 
interruption  from  any  cause,  foreign  or  domestic.  Mr.  Kane  has 
sold  his  large  house,  corner  of  St.  Mark's  place  and  the  Second 
avenue,  to  Charles  Graham,  for  ^35,000.  He  called  this  morning 
to  offer  it  to  me  for  the  last  time,  before  he  closed  the  sale ;  but  I 
do  not  want  it,  nor  indeed  would  I  consent  to  remove  to  any  other 
situation,  unless  I  was  compelled  to  do  so,  by  selling  my  house  in 
Broadway.     Mr.  Boardman  offered  me,  about  two  months  since,  the 


i83S]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  14I 

price  I  asked  for  my  house,  $55,000  ;  but  I  was  to  take  in  part  pay- 
ment seven  lots  of  ground  on  the  Second  avenue,  below  St.  Mark's 
place,  at  a  valuation  of  $35,000.  This  I  declined,  for  I  could  not 
imagine  then,  nor  can  I  now,  that  they  are  worth  so  much  money. 
He  has,  however,  sold  them  since  for  $38,000,  and  the  speculators 
say  they  are  a  bargain. 

May  12. —  I  went  this  morning  to  the  Exhibition  at 
1  a  lona  Clinton  Hall.     There  is  a  manifest  improvement  in  the 

Academy.  '■ 

works  of  several  of  our  old  favourite  artists.  Ingham 
has  some  splendid  portraits  ;  Durand  has  several  very  good,  three  in 
particular,  of  President  Jackson,  Mr.  Adams,  and  Charles  A.  Davis, 
are  admirable.  Inman  has  several  fine  paintings,  the  best  the 
"Bride  of  Lammermoor,"  which  he  painted  for  a  Southern  gentle- 
man ;  and  Mount  has  three  pictures  which  would  do  credit  to 
Wilkie.  Weir  has,  as  usual,  some  good  pictures,  but  his  last  does 
not  please  me.  It  is  a  picture  painted  for  Mr.  Verplanck ;  the 
subject  is  "The  Landing  of  Hendrick  Hudson." 

May  18.  — Yesterday  was  a  pleasant  day,  the  first,  I  think,  this 
spring,  and  being  Sunday  the  streets  presented  a  gay  and  cheerful 
appearance.  The  ladies'  new  French  hats  and  the  gentlemen's 
white  pantaloons  were  exhibited  with  impunity  from  staining  shower 
or  biting  blast,  and  the  air  was  redolent  of  the  tender  grass  and 
opening  lilacs.  During  the  day  and  evening  the  fire-engines  were 
exercised  by  the  boys  with  their  accustomed  alacrity,  and  a  few 
houses  here  and  there  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city  were  burned  for 
their  especial  gratification. 

May  21.  —  How  beautifully  expressive  are  the  Indian 
Indian  Names,  proper  namcs  !    Comprehensive  in  meaning,  as  they  are 

lofty  and  musical  in  sound.  I  honour  the  towns,  the 
rivers,  and  the  mountains  to  which  the  good  taste  and  patriotic 
feeling  have  left  the  names  by  which  the  sons  of  the  forest  desig- 
nated them  before  the  white  man  became  their  proprietor,  much 
more  than  I  do  the  Baths,  the  Bristols,  the  Frankforts,  and  the 
Orleans,  for  which  we  are  indebted  to  the  exhausted  gazetteers  of 


142  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

Europe  ;  or  even  the  Homers,  the  Virgils,  the  Solons,  or  the  Man- 
lius,  albeit  they  have  been  raked  up  from  the  ashes  of  classical 
lore.  Our  lakes  and  rivers  have  been  less  despoiled  of  their  origi- 
nal Indian  designations  than  the  towns  which  they  irrigate  and 
beautify,  and  they  differ  as  much  in  name  as  they  do  in  grandeur 
from  those  of  Europe.  What  can  be  more  expressive  than  "  Alle- 
ghany," clear  water ;  "  Ohio,"  most  beautiful  of  rivers  ;  "  Connect- 
icut," long  river;  "  Winnipiseogee,"  the  smile  of  the  Great  Spirit; 
"  Canandaigua,"  place  of  rest,  etc.  !  Such  words  as  Ontario, 
Onondaga,  Tallahassee,  and  Michigan  are  full  of  poetry  as  of  mag- 
nificence, and  the  spirit  of  the  American  people  should  guard  them 
with  as  much  jealousy  from  the  innovations  of  European  refine- 
ment as  they  would  the  hardy  maxims  of  their  republican  insti- 
tutions from  the  insults  of  courtly  forms  of  government  or  the 
errors  of  modem  philosophy. 

May  22.  —  The  Jackson  Convention,  convened  by 
Baltimore        orders  from  Washington  to  nominate  Mr.  Van  Buren 

Convention.  ° 

for  the  presidency,  assembled  at  Baltimore  on  Wednes- 
day, and  appointed  Andrew  Stevenson,  late  Speaker  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  and  rejected  Minister  to  England,  to  preside 
over  them.  No  other  business  was  done  on  Wednesday ;  there  are 
some  difficulties  in  the  way,  such  as  a  double  set  of  delegates  from 
Pennsylvania,  true-blue  both,  but  hating  each  other  nearly  as  much 
as  they  do  honesty  and  the  Whigs,  and  a  little  insubordination  about 
the  choice  of  Vice-President.  Mr.  Rives  and  Richard  M.  Johnson 
have  each  friends  in  the  convention,  who  will  at  first  make  a  little 
show  in  support  of  their  respective  candidate,  but  will  soon  fall  into 
the  ranks  of  "  passive  obedience  and  non-resistance,"  and  ratify 
unanimously  the  edict  which  has  gone  forth  from  Washington  and 
been  countersigned  at  Albany.  So  "God  help  the  people  "  !  This 
farce  is  over,  and  their  deliberations  have  terminated  as  was  pre- 
viously arranged.  On  Friday  the  convention  proceeded  to  the 
nomination  of  candidates  for  the  offices  of  President  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States.    Martin  Van  Buren  was  unanimously 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 43 

nominated  as  President,  and  Richard  M.  Johnson  was  nominated  as 
Vice-President  by  the  following  vote  :  for  Richard  M.  Johnson, 
178  ;  for  William  C.  Rives,  87. 

May  26. — The  packet-ship  "Napoleon"  arrived  yes- 
French  xcws.  terday  from  Liverpool,  bringing  news  to  the  25  th  of 
April.  The  Indemnity  Bill  passed  the  French  Chamber 
of  Deputies  on  the  iSth  by  a  larger  majority  than  was  anticipated. 
The  whole  amount  of  25,000,000  francs,  with  interest  from  the  date 
of  the  treaty,  was  agreed  to  be  paid.  The  Ministers  assented  to 
the  introduction  of  a  clause  in  the  bill  forbidding  the  payment  of 
the  money  until  after  the  French  Government  shall  have  received 
satisfactory  explanations  with  regard  to  the  President's  message  of 
Dec.  2,  1834. 

What  will  "  Old  Hickory  "  say  to  this?  Apologize?  He  cer- 
tainly will  not,  for  his  flatterers  have  told  him  and  told  the  people, 
and  they  all  believe  it,  that  his  firmness,  his  vigour,  his  dare-deviltry 
have  extorted  from  the  fears  of  the  French  that  which  we  should 
never  have  gained  from  their  justice,  but  la  grande  7iation  will  be 
satisfied  with  a  few  unmeaning  words  :  "Our  old  allies,"  "Our  faith- 
ful friends,"  "The  compatriots  of  our  Lafayette;"  they  cannot 
suppose,  not  they,  that  any  affront  was  intended,  etc.,  etc.,  and  so 
the  matter  will  be  settled  :  the  louis  will  jingle  in  our  pockets,  Jack- 
son will  get  all  the  credit  for  the  success  of  a  negotiation  which  his 
arrogance  had  well-nigh  defeated,  the  "  Hurrah  for  Jackson  !  "  on  our 
shores  will  be  responded  on  those  of  France  by  "  Vive  Louis  Phi- 
lippe !  "  saltpetre  will  be  used  only  for  the  peaceful  purpose  of  curing 
hams,  and  the  star-spangled  banner  will  wave  as  heretofore  over 
cargoes  of  cotton  and  potashes,  or  serve  to  give  an  impulse  to 
the  Fourth-of-July  celebrations  of  General  Morton's  division  of 
artillery. 

May  27.  —  I  went  last  evening  to  a  grand  supper  at  Washington 
Hall,  given  by  the  members  of  the  Book  Club  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wain- 
wright,  who  is  considered  the  founder  of  the  club.  The  party  was 
larger  than  usual,  and  comprised   several  of  the  elite  of  the   city. 


144  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^Etat.  55. 

There  were  President  Duer,  Dr.  Wainwright,  Dr.  Jarvis,  Henry 
Brevoort,  Colonel  White,  of  Florida,  General  Scott,  Joseph  Blunt, 
Charles  King,  Ogden  Hoffman,  John  Duer,  Jacob  Harvey,  Arthur 
Barclay,  James  J.  Jones,  Dr.  Francis,  Beverly  Robinson,  Charles  A. 
Davis,  Dr.  A.  E,  Hosack,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  P.  Hone,  Washington 
Irving,  M.  C.  Patterson,  and  two  or  three  more  whom  I  do  not 
recollect. 

June  i.  —  All  the  world  (our  world)  is  going  to  Europe.  The 
packet-ship  "  Europe "  sailed  this  morning  for  Liverpool  with 
thirty- five  passengers  ;  among  the  number  were  Professor  Ticknor 
and  family,  of  Boston,  and  Lord  Powerscourt,  who  has  been  travel- 
ling in  the  United  States.  His  friend  and  companion,  Mr.  Parnell, 
remains  behind,  having  been  married  yesterday  in  Grace  Church  to 
Miss  Delia  Stewart,  daughter  of  Commodore  Stewart.  He  will  follow 
in  a  short  time,  and  take  his  Yankee  bride  with  him  to  Ireland. 

June  17. — The  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  is  completed 
except  a  viaduct,  and  the  passengers  by  the  New  York  steamboats 
were  carried  over  for  the  first  time  one  day  last  week.  The  time 
was  two  hours  and  a  half,  and  the  Lexington  steamboat  goes  from 
New  York  to  Providence  in  twelve  hours,  so  that  leaving  this  city 
at  six  in  the  morning  travellers  can  unstrap  their  trunks  at  their 
lodgings  in  Boston  by  daylight  on  a  summer's  day. 

June  23.  —  The  U.S.  frigate  "Constitution"  ar- 
oid  Ironsides,  rived  yesterday  afternoon,  having  on  board  Mr. 
Livingston,  our  late  Minister  to  France,  and  his 
family.  Mr.  Livingston  comes  back  in  a  bad  humour,  and  it  is 
much  to  be  feared  that  he  may  infuse  some  of  it  into  the  mind  of 
the  obstinate  and  weak  old  man  at  the  head  of  our  government,- 
and  so  prevent  an  amicable  arrangement  of  the  difficulty  with 
France,  —  a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  dreaded,  if  it  should  lead 
to  war.  The  only  hope  is  that  Mr.  Van  Buren's  influence  will  be 
stronger  in  that  quarter  than  that  of  the  Minister,  and  that  his 
chance  of  a  succession  to  the  presidency  may  be  promoted  by 
keeping  the  peace. 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I45 

We  saw  the  noble  ship  "  Constitution  "  plainly  from  Rockaway 
yesterday  afternoon,  under  a  full  spread  of  canvas,  on  her  way  up 
to  the  city.  She  sailed  from  Havre  on  the  5  th,  and  from  Plymouth 
England,  on  the  i6th  ult.  I  do  not  think  much  of  her  commander, 
have  little  respect  for  the  effigy  on  her  bow  or  the  manner  of  its 
being  placed  there,  and  am  not  exceedingly  proud  of  the  country's 
representative  which  she  now  bears  in  her  bosom ;  but  I  love  her 
for  her  name,  and  honour  her  for  the  share  she  has  had  in  the  pres- 
ervation of  her  country's  glory.     She  is  still  "  Old  Ironsides." 

Wednesday,  July  i  .  —  On  Saturday  evening  last,  during  a 
severe  gale  in  Baltimore,  Mr.  Marshall,  son  of  the  Chief  Justice, 
having  taken  shelter  in  a  building  partially  destroyed  by  fire,  was 
killed  by  the  falling  of  a  chimney.  He  had  just  arrived  from 
Philadelphia,  where  he  had  been  to  visit  his  venerable  father. 
There  is  great  reason  to  apprehend  that  the  shock  of  this  calamity, 
added  to  his  bad  state  of  health,  will  prove  too  much  for  this  most 
excellent  of  men.  I  know  of  no  greater  misfortune  which  our 
country  could  sustain  at  this  time  than  the  death  of  Chief  Justice 
Marshall.  He  is  the  sheet-anchor  of  the  Constitution ;  pure, 
enlightened,  and  patriotic ;  the  loss  of  such  a  man  would  be  a 
national  calamity  at  any  time,  but  it  is  a  fearful  thing  to  think  of 
his  place  being  filled  by  a  man  who  is  willing  to  sacrifice  everything 
we  hold  sacred  to  the  gratification  of  his  personal  feelings  and  the 
aggrandizement  of  his  party. 

July  4.  —  I  dined  with  the  honourable  the  Corporation.  These 
dinners  are  never  very  refined  nor  very  intellectual,  but  this  was  even 
less  so  than  usual.  The  constituents  of  the  members,  who,  like 
some  of  themselves,  are  rather  queer  sort  of  folk,  must  be  invited, 
and  as  the  dinner  and  diners  are  abundant,  they  feed  enor- 
mously, and,  in  utter  disregard  of  the  good  temperance  rules  so 
much  in  fashion,  lay  in  large  stores  of  present  hilarity  and  future 
headache,  and,  as  in  duty  bound,  they  pay  for  their  share  of  the 
municipal  banquet  by  lauding  their  liberal  entertainers,  and  shout- 
ing, at  the  top  of  their  excited  voices,  "  Huzza  !  "  to  all  their  party 


146  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

sentiments,  no  matter  how  violent  or  unreasonable.  The  Presi- 
dent's health  was  received  with  all  the  fire  and  vivacity  which 
brandy  or  champagne  can  inspire,  but  the  great  burst  of  feeling 
was  reserved  for  New  York's  favourite  son,  "  the  Vice-President." 
The  "  three  times  three  "  which  succeeded  the  announcement  of 
this  toast  made  the  very  cupola  on  the  top  of  the  hall  tremble 
over  our  heads ;  the  deep-toned  bell  which  is  suspended  under  the 
queer-looking  canopy,  like  a  toad  under  some  enormous  mush- 
room, to  utter  the  sounds  of  fearful  vibrations,  and  the  four-and- 
twenty  pounders  of  "  Old  Ironsides,"  which  were  at  the  same 
moment  keeping  4th  of  July  on  the  North  river,  could  scarcely  be 
heard  in  the  patriotic  din  which  spontaneously  burst  forth  to  waft 
the  glorious  sentiment  to  the  responsive  heavens.  There,  I  am 
sure  the  "  Times  "  cannot  make  more  of  the  toast  than  I  have 
done.  I  sat  at  the  table  on  the  right  hand  of  the  INIayor,  between 
Commodore  Elliot  and  Govemour  Troup.  A  chair  was  left  in  the 
place  of  honour  on  the  immediate  right  of  the  Mayor  for  Mr.  Liv- 
ingston, who  was  so  ill  that  he  could  not  attend  the  dinner ;  but  the 
place  was  pertinaciously  kept  by  the  Commodore,  who  is  a  great 
glorifier  of  President  Jackson  and  all  that  appertains  to  him,  and 
when  the  cloth  was  removed  and  the  champagne,  like  a  poker,  had 
begun  to  stir  up  the  latent  flame  of  patriotism  in  the  bosoms  of  the 
faithful,  the  name  of  the  Minister  was  announced,  and  he  was  led 
up  with  all  due  formality  to  the  vacant  chair.  This  was  the  signal 
for  three  glorification  cheers,  which  he  would  not  have  gotten  in  a 
regular  way.  His  health  was  given ;  he  made  a  speech  ;  all  his  actions, 
past,  present,  to  come,  were  fully  approved,  and  "  No  explanation," 
"No  apology,"  resounded  through  the  room,  and  divided  the 
echoes  of  the  spacious  dome  with  the  equally  inspiring  shouts  of 
"  Hurrah  for  Jackson  !  "  and  success  to  the  nominee  of  the  Balti- 
more Convention.  This  may  all  have  been  accidental,  but  it 
appeared  to  me  exceedingly  like  management.  It  was  passing 
strange  that  a  person  should  be  too  ill  to  go  out  to  dinner  at  five 
o'clock,  but  able  to  calculate  his  recovery  with  so  much  nicety  that 


iS35.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  147 

a  chair  should  be  kept  for  huTi  to  occupy  at  seven.  I  crossed  the 
path  of  the  glorification  toasts  with  the  following  sentiment,  out  of 
place,  to  be  sure,  but  they  dared  not  express  any  disapprobation, — 
"  John  ]\Iarshall :  may  his  valuable  life  be  spared  to  his  country, 
while  his  mental  and  physical  faculties  remain,  to  elucidate  and  to 
defend  the  Constitution." 

Deaihof  J^-^^  ^'  —  '^^^  calamity  which  has  for   some  time 

Chief  Justice  past  threatened  our  country  has  happened  at  last,  and 
every  man  who  admires  talents  and  venerates  virtue 
mourns  over  the  loss  we  have  sustained.  John  Marshall,  the  wise, 
the  virtuous,  the  patriotic,  died  on  the  afternoon  of  Monday  the 
6th  inst.,  at  six  o'clock,  in  Philadelphia,  in  which  city  he  has  been 
for  some  time,  to  avail  himself  of  the  best  medical  advice.  Take 
the  Chief  Justice  for  all  in  all,  he  combined  in  his  character  more 
good  and  great  qualities  than  any  other  man  in  the  United  States 
during  his  or  any  other  time,  with  the  exception  of  his  friend  and 
associate,  Washington ;  and  his  death  at  this  time  is  a  greater 
national  calamity  than  Washington's  was  when  it  occurred,  for 
reasons  which  I  have  stated  at  a  former  page  of  this  journal,  in 
noticing  the  melancholy  death  of  his  son  at  Baltimore.  Would  it 
had  pleased  Divine  Providence  to  delay  the  stroke  for  a  few  years  ! 
Less  danger  would  be  apprehended  if  the  successor  of  General 
Jackson  had  had  the  filling  of  this  most  important  office,  even  if 
that  successor  were  (as  it  most  probably  will  be)  Mr.  Van  Buren. 
He  will  be  governed  less  by  personal  predilections,  and  if  he  has 
no  more  virtue  than  the  present  incumbent,  he  has  more  policy  and 
less  reliance  upon  his  own  infallibility.  At  any  rate,  I  would  rather 
trust  him. 

In  1797  IVIarshall  was  appointed  by  President  Adams,  with 
General  Pinckney  and  Elbridge  Gerry,  to  negotiate  with  the  French 
Directory.  They  were  not  received  by  the  French,  and  it  was  in 
this  embassy  that  the  famous  X.  Y.  Z.  correspondence  was  instituted, 
in  which  the  envoys  were  invited  to  bribe  the  Directory  as  the 
means  of  obtaining  justice  for  this  country.     It  was  this  infamous 


I4S  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^"^tat.  55. 

proposal  which  gave  rise  to  the  celebrated  expression  so  frequently 
quoted,  "Millions  for  defence,  not  a  cent  for  tribute."  In  1799 
he  was  elected  and  took  his  seat  in  Congress.  Here  his  talents 
became  immediately  so  conspicuous  that  in  1800  he  was  ap- 
pointed Secretary  of  War,  and  on  the  31st  of  January,  iSoi, 
he  became  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  which  distinguished  position  he  continued  to  fill  with 
unsullied  dignity  and  preeminent  ability  until  the  close  of  his 
mortal  career.  All  newspapers  are,  as  they  ought  to  be,  clad  in 
mourning. 

July  10.  —  Charles  King  gave  me,  on  board  the  steamboat,  yes- 
terday morning  the  "  Evening  Post  "  to  read  an  infamous  editorial 
notice  of  the  death  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall.  They  say  he  was  a 
man  of  considerable  talents  !  but  an  enemy  to  Democratic  princi- 
ples, and  used  his  influence  in  the  court  over  which  he  presided  to 
subvert  them,  and  on  the  whole  his  removal  is  a  cause  of  rejoicing. 
This  is  absolutely  a  species  of  impiety  for  which  I  want  words  to 
express  my  abhorrence.  It  is  of  a  piece  with  Duane's  celebrated 
article  published  in  the  "  Aurora "  on  the  death  of  Washington, 
beginning  with  the  scriptural  quotation,  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou 
thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salva- 
tion ;  "  and  the  painful  recollection  of  these  two  great  national 
bereavements  will  ever  be  accompanied  in  the  minds  of  all  good 
Americans  by  their  detestation  of  the  sentiments  of  the  two  com- 
peers in  infamy,  who  have  thus  acquired  a  most  unenviable  notori- 
ety. The  "  Times,"  another  of  our  Jackson  papers,  on  the  other 
hand,  has  noticed  the  Chief  Justice's  death  in  the  most  feeling  man- 
ner, and  consecrated  his  m.emory  by  eulogiums  which  none  but  a 
fool  would  deny,  or  a  knave  withhold. 

July  18. — The  papers  contain  a  report  that  the  President  has 
appointed  Roger  B.  Taney  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States  in 
the  place  of  the  lamented  John  Marshall.  Mr.  Taney  is  a  lawyer 
of  high  reputation,  and  except  in  his  slavish  devotion  to  General 
Jackson  and  his  party,  which  led  him  during  his  short  career  as 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I49 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to  perform  an  act  of  subsen-iency  which 
must  "  damn  him  to  everlasting  fame,"  he  was  ahvays  esteemed 
a  respectable  man.  The  act  alluded  to,  the  acceptance  of  office 
solely  to  do  the  President's  dirty  work  of  removing  the  deposits, 
was  sufficient  to  entitle  him  to  this  or  any  other  office  in  his  gift ; 
and  as  none  but  a  person  possessing  that  sort  of  qualification  would 
be  appointed,  it  is  fortunate,  on  the  whole,  that  the  ermine  has  not 
fallen  upon  less  worthy  shoulders.  If  this  appointment  has  been 
made,  and  Mr.  Van  Buren  should  be  elected  President  (of  which  I 
think  there  is  very  little  doubt),  the  remarkable  fact  will  be  dis- 
closed of  the  two  most  exalted  offices  in  the  country  being  held  by 
individuals  whose  nominations  for  other  offices  of  greatly  inferior 
importance  have  been  rejected  by  the  Senate. 

Buffalo,  Tuesday,  July  21.  —  We  arrived  here  in  the  canal-boat 
at  three  o'clock  this  afternoon.  The  boat  was  not  crowded,  the 
weather  was  cool  and  pleasant,  the  accommodations  good,  the  cap- 
tain polite,  our  fellow-passengers  well-behaved,  and  altogether  I  do 
not  remember  to  ha\^  ever  had  so  pleasant  a  ride  on  the  canal. 
ISIy  hammock,  to  be  sure,  was  rather  narrow  and  not  very  soft,  and 
my  neighbour  overhead  packed  close  upon  my  stomach  ;  but  I  slept 
sound  as  a  ploughman,  and  did  not  wake  until  tapped  on  the  shoul- 
ders by  the  boy,  and  told  to  "  clear  out." 

July  29.  —  At  the   moment  of  my  arrival  I  found 
Saratoga         ^j^^  j^^.^^  dresscd  for  a  ball  at   Congress   Hall  and 

Springs.  ^ 

just  entering  the  room.  At  the  solicitations  of  some  of 
my  fair  friends,  whose  solicitations  are  a  matter  not  to  be  dis- 
regarded, I  went  down  to  look  at  the  gay  assemblage.  There  is  a 
large  company  at  Congress  Hall,  but  not  many  New  Yorkers.  The 
Patroon  and  old  Mrs.  Philip  Van  Rensselaer,  Mrs.  Wilkins,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Phelps,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James 
AV.  Otis,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Post,  lately  married  (she  was  Miss  Church)  ; 
Mrs.  Otis's  sister,  another  newly  married  couple  j  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rupert  Cochran,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  DePau,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Washington 
Coster,    Giraud,    McLean,    Buckland,    McLeod,    Laight,    Pringle, 


I50  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

Edward   Heckscher,  Governor  Wolf,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  many 
others,  as  Lord  Duberly  says,  "  too  tedious  to  enumerate." 

August  2.  —  A  terrible  system  prevails  in  some  of 
Lynch's  Law.  the  Southem  and  "Western  States  of  late,  which  con- 
sists in  the  people  taking  the  law  in  their  own  hands 
and  inflicting  summary  punishment  upon  persons  who  have  made 
themselves  obnoxious  to  their  high  mightinesses,  beating,  tarring  and 
feathering,  and  in  some  cases  hanging  the  unhappy  object  of  their 
vengeance,  and  this  is  generally  called  "  Lynch's  law."  At  Vicks- 
burg,  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  from  the  6th  to  the  loth  of  July, 
scenes  were  enacted  which  are  calculated  to  make  humanity 
shudder,  and  to  bring  disgrace  upon  the  country.  The  same 
inflammable  spirit  in  our  part  of  the  country  has  caused  excitement 
and  tumult  in  a  less  dangerous  degree.  Finding  more  combustible 
matter  in  the  South  and  West,  it  has  kindled  a  flame  which  may  in 
time  endanger  the  safety  of  our  institutions  throughout  the'  Union. 
There  is  an  awful  tendency  toward  insubordination  and  contempt 
of  the  laws,  and  there  is  reason  to  apprehend  that  good  order  and 
moraUty  will  ere  long  be  overcome  by  intemperance  and  violence, 
and  "  Lynch's  law  "  be  made  a  substitute  for  written  law  and  the 
regular  administration  of  public  justice.  God  forbid  that  the  fair 
inheritance  of  our  fathers  should  be  laid  prostrate  by  the  lawless 
hands  of  their  degenerate  sons,  in  this  early  stage  of  its  existence  ! 
As  for  me,  I  have  no  desire  to  be  ruled  by  the  maxim  of  govern- 
ment so  fashionable  in  the  extreme  south  and  west  part  of  our 
country,  and  I  say,  give  us  no  more  Tennessee  presidents. 

August  3.  —  The  prices  of  property  in  and  about 
Real  Estate,  this  city  and  BrookljTi  keep  up  astonishingly ;  un- 
improved lots  on  this  island  are  higher  than  ever- 
Several  great  sales  have  been  made  at  auction  during  my  absence, 
but  I  think  the  greatest  is  the  property  of  the  late  Mrs.  Ann 
Rogers,  which  goes  principally,  I  believe,  to  her  grandchildren,  the 
children  of  her  daughter,  INIrs.  Heyward.  It  consisted  of  her 
proportion   of  the   Rose    Hill    estate   left  by   her   first   husband, 


1S35]  THE   DIARY  OF   PHILIP   HONE.  151 

Nicliolas  Cruger,  and  the  country-seat  at  Bloomingdale,  about  six 
miles  from  the  city,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  river.  The 
amount  of  the  sales  of  these  two  pieces  of  property  was  $688,310. 
Fifteen  years  ago  they  would  not  have  brought  $40,000.  The 
money  goes  into  good  hands. 

August  4.  —  Charles  Matthews,  the  comedian,  died 
-.^    °  in  England,  on  the  29th  of  June,  of  an  ossification  of 

the  heart.  His  health  was  bad  during  his  last  visit  to 
the  United  States,  and  he  had  a  dangerous  fit  of  illness  while  in 
Boston.  He  dined  with  me  once  during  that  visit,  was  very  agree- 
able, but  not  the  man  he  was  when  here  before.  Even  while 
amusing  the  public  by  his  ludicrous  performances  on  the  stage,  he 
was  moody,  fretful,  and  dissatisfied,  and  left  the  country  for  the  last 
time  in  a  very  bad  humour.  Few  men  of  the  present  age  have 
contributed  so  much  to  the  amusement  of  others,  but  in  his  best 
days  he  was  subject  to  fits  of  discontent  and  lowness  of  spirits, 
and  I  have  seen  him  at  my  own  table  delighting  and  surprising  the 
company  with  stories,  songs,  and  imitations,  himself  the  only  person 
whose  heart  was  not  light  and  joyous  by  the  merriment  he  caused. 
The  following  distinguished  gentlemen  have  been 
M-'i'r'shaii''"  appointed  and  have  consented  to  pronounce  eulogiums 
upon  the  character  and  services  of  the  late  illustrious 
Chief  Justice  :  Judge  Story,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States ;  Daniel  Webster,  of  Massachusetts ;  James  Kent,  of  New 
York ;  Horace  Binney,  of  Philadelphia ;  and  Walter  Jones,  of 
Washington. 

RocKA WAV,  Thursday,  Aug.  6. — We  left  home  this  afternoon 
in  the  Rockaway  omnibus,  with  Miss  Lydia  Kane.  Mr.  Nicholson 
drove  Miss  Helen  Kane. 

The  house  is  not  so  full  as  it  ought  to  be,  but  the  company  is 
exceedingly  agreeable.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  Bayard ;  Mrs.  Carroll ; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  _  (Mrs.  Carroll's  other  daughter)  ;  t-tvo 
beautiful  INIisses  Willing,  daughters  of  Richard  Willing,  of  Phila- 
delphia ;  Dr.  and  Mrs.  McAuley,  of  Baltimore ;  Mrs.  Davis ;  Miss 
E.  Callender :  and  an  excellent  lot  of  beaux. 


152  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

August  7.  — The  weather  is  delightful  this  morning,  and  we  have 
had  a  day  of  amusement  and  pleasure.  It  was  the  birthday  of  Miss 
Elizabeth  Willing,  one  of  the  handsomest  and  loveliest  girls  I  ever 
saw.  Count  Streliski,  who  is  chief  manager  and  the  best  beau  at 
the  Pavilion,  issued  a  programme  of  the  amusements,  which  con- 
sisted of  a  trotting  match,  a  champagne  dinner,  birthday  ode,  ball, 
and  supper.  The  trotting  match  took  place  at  ten  o'clock,  on  the 
beach,  and  the  company  from  all  the  houses  assembled  to  witness 
it.  Three  one-mile  heats  were  trotted.  The  race  was  won  by 
Robert  Goelet,  who  was  regularly  invested  by  the  queen  of  the  day 
on  the  ground  with  the  prize,  which  was  a  beautiful  embroidered 
scarf.  This  part  of  the  day's  sport  went  off  well  and  afforded  much 
pleasure.  At  the  dinner,  toasts  and  speeches  in  honour  of  the  occa- 
sion went  their  jocund  round.  The  ball  in  the  evening  was 
unusually  splendid,  for  there  never  were  a  dozen  handsomer  girls 
assembled  in  one  cotillion.  A  part  of  the  arrangement  consisted 
in  my  promising  a  birthday  ode,  which  was  set  to  music  by  Kendal 
and  sung  with  great  effect  by  the  Count.  It  was  well  received,  for 
the  good-humour  which  prevailed  rendered  the  company  indulgent 
critics.  Amongst  the  other  delights  of  the  day  I  had  a  most  luxu- 
rious bath  at  noon.  Why  do  people  go  to  Saratoga  to  mix  in  a 
crowd  of  queer  strangers,  dragging  out  a  tiresome  day  of  artificial 
enjo>Tiient,  when  they  might  come  here  and  enjoy  pure  air,  invigo- 
rating bathing,  and  refined  society  ?  Chacun  a  son  goiit.  I  prefer 
this. 

New  York,  Aug,  n.  —  My  beautiful  namesake,  the  brig  "  Philip 
Hone,"  arrived  on  Sunday,  from  the  Pacific  ocean,  to  Rowland 
and  Aspinwall. 

My  poor  country,  what  is  to  be  the  issue  of  the 
^''"'^r '"  violence  of  the  people  and  the  disregard  of  law  which 

prevails  in  all  parts  of  it  ?  On  Friday  night  a  mob  col- 
lected in  Baltimore,  instigated  by  inflammatory  handbills,  to  take 
vengeance  upon  several  persons  who  had  been  directors  of  the  Bank 
of  Maryland, — an  institution  which  stopped  payment  something 


iS35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 53 

more  than  a  year  ago,  and  by  which  many  persons  had  lost  money. 
They  attacked  and  broke  the  windows  of  the  house  occupied  by 
Mr.  Reverdy  Johnson,  which  was  built  by  James  A.  Buchanan,  next 
door  to  Mrs.  WilUam  Gilmor,  near  to  Barnum's  Hotel,  and  within  a 
short  distance  of  Meredith's  house.  The  Mayor  interfered,  and  the 
mob  was  addressed  by  several  gentlemen,  and  dispersed  without 
doing  a  great  deal  of  damage,  but  only  to  renew  the  attack  with 
increased  numbers  and  greater  ferocity.  The  same  scenes  were 
repeated  on  Saturday  night  and  on  Sunday,  when  the  house  was 
pulled  do^vn,  as  well  as  that  of  Mr.  Glenn,  another  of  the  bank 
directors,  who  lived  in  North  Charles  street.  All  the  furniture  of 
both  these  houses  was  thrown  into  the  street,  burned,  and  destroyed. 
The  troops  fired  upon  the  mob,  several  were  killed,  and  a  large 
number  wounded. 

The  accounts  published  in  the  papers  of  this  afternoon  are  up  to 
yesterday  morning,  at  which  time  the  work  of  destruction  was  still 
going  on.  The  scene  is  represented  as  horrible  in  the  extreme,  but 
the  accounts  are  vague  and  contradictory.  About  twenty  persons 
were  killed  and  one  hundred  wounded.  The  house  of  the  Mayor, 
who  had  done  his  duty  well,  was  destroyed  ;  the  troops  had  refused 
to  act  any  further,  and  the  mob  appears  to  have  completely  got  the 
ascendency.  This  is  Lynch's  law,  or  Club  law,  or  Beelzebub's  law, 
or  Jackson's  law.  It  is  the  state  of  things  which  the  editor  of  the 
"  Evening  Post  "  must  have  anticipated  and  wished  for  when  he 
congratulated  his  fellow-rufifians  that  the  sheet-anchor  of  the  law 
and  the  Constitution  was  lost ;  that  the  wise  and  the  virtuous 
Marshall  no  longer  lived  to  control  the  bad  passions  of  the  people. 
Where  will  it  end? 

RocKAWAY,  Wednesday,  Aug.  12.  —  My  feelings  are 
Dreadful  Fire,  excitcd  and  my  heart  is  sick  at  the  scenes  I  witnessed 
this  morning ;  but  I  am  glatl  I  happened  to  be  in 
town,  for  it  was  better  to  see  the  work  of  destruction  than  to  hear 
it  described.  At  two  o'clock  a  fire  broke  out  in  the  large  new 
brick  building  No,   115   Fulton  street,  occupied   by  a  number  of 


154  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

bookbinders,  etc.  I  saw  the  fire  from  my  bed,  and  knew,  from  the 
direction  and  the  reflection  of  the  light  on  the  steeple  of  the  North 
Church  near,  about  where  it  was.  I  did  not  arise  for  some  time, 
until  I  concluded,  from  the  progress  of  the  flames,  that  Clinton  Hall 
might  be  in  danger.  I  then  went  out  and  witnessed  the  awful 
scene  until  seven  o'clock.  It  has  been  the  most  destructive  fire 
which  has  ever  occurred  in  New  York,  with  the  exception,  perhaps, 
of  the  great  fire,  thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  at  the  Coffee  House 
Slip  :  because  in  this  case  most  of  the  buildings  were  new,  five 
and  six  stories  high,  and  of  brick.  This  part  of  the  city  was 
the  Paternoster  Row  of  New  York,  in  which  two  or  three  thou- 
sand persons  were  employed  daily  in  the  various  departments 
of  book  making,  binding,  publishing,  etc.  Fifteen  or  twenty 
newspapers  and  other  periodicals  were  pubUshed  within  its  pre- 
cincts, and  the  stock  of  books,  most  of  which  was  destroyed,  was 
immense. 

The  building  in  which  the  fire  originated,  with  six  others,  occu- 
pying the  whole  ground  on  that  side  of  Fulton  street,  including 
Bliss  &  Wadsworth's  splendid  book  and  stationery  store  and  Abra- 
ham Bell  &  Co.'s  counting-house,  from  the  Dutch  church  minister's 
house  to  the  North  Church,  were  entirely  destroyed,,  and  nearly  all 
the  houses  on  the  opposite  side  of  Fulton  street.  The  flames 
passed  through  the  block  to  Ann  street,  and  swept  away  all  the  new 
lofty  buildings  on  both  sides  of  the  street,  including  Holbrook's 
store.  Fuller's  gymnasium,  six  stories  high,  and  the  Catholic  church, 
which  was  the  extent  of  the  devastation  in  that  direction.  From 
Ann  street  it  communicated  to  Nassau  street,  where  ten  or  twelve 
buildings  on  the  east  side  were  destroyed;  two  of  these,  Nos.  no 
and  112,  were  large  new  warehouses  filled  with  books  and  paper, 
all  of  which  was  lost.  The  houses  on  Nassau  street  were  the  last 
destroyed,  and  at  this  period  the  immense  establishment  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  Clinton  Hall,  and  my  property,  Clinton 
Hotel,  were  in  considerable  danger ;  but  happily  the  progress  of  the 
flames  was  arrested  and  all  this  valuable  property  escaped  uninjured. 


IS35-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  I55 

Five  persons  are  known  to  have  lost  their  Hves  ;  Mr.  Blanchard,  a 
respectable  bookbinder,  and  two  printers  in  the  building  where 
the  fire  originated.  The  former  jumped  out  of  a  window  in  the 
fourth  story  and  died  in  ten  minutes ;  the  others  were  burned, 
and  two  more  were  killed  by  falling  walls.  I  witnessed  the  con- 
flagration from  the  upper  story  of  Clinton  Hall,  and  it  was  astonishing 
to  see  the  rapidity  with  which  it  progressed. 

August  13.' —  Great  excitement  prevails  in  all  parts  of 
tionists"  ''  ^^^  country  on  the  subject  of  the  attempts  made  by  the 
friends  of  immediate  emancipation  to  excite  the  slaves 
of  the  South  to  resist  the  authority  of  their  masters  ;  at  least,  such 
is  the  alleged  tendency  of  the  indiscreet  measures  of  those  fanatical 
persons  who  have  engaged  in  that  cause.  Inflammatory  publica- 
tions have  been  circulated  in  the  slaveholding  States  by  means  of 
the  mails,  and  the  people  of  those  States  have  resorted  to  violent 
measures  to  counteract  their  effects  ;  among  others,  application  was 
made  to  the  Postmaster-General  to  prevent  their  distribution. 
The  reply  of  that  important  functionary  (the  notorious  Amos 
Kendal)  contains  the  following  sentiment,  which  embodies  all  the 
essence  of  the  abominable  doctrines  on  which  the  Vicksburgh  and 
Baltimore  riots  were  founded ;  viz.,  that  the  people  are  to  be  gov- 
erned by  the  law  just  so  long  as  it  suits  them,  and  constitutes  them 
the  judges  of  the  time  when  they  may  release  themselves  from  the 
obligation  of  obedience,  and  the  manner  of  substituting  "  LjTich's 
law  "  for  the  written  law  of  the  land.  The  letter  is  addressed  to 
the  Postmaster  of  Charleston,  S.C.  "We  owe  an  obligation  to 
the  laws,  but  a  higher  one  to  the  community  in  which  we  live,  and 
if  the  former  be  perverted  to  destroy  the  latter,  it  is  patriotism  to 
disregard  them."  Every  petty  postmaster  in  the  country  is  thus 
made  the  judge  of  the  cases  which  justify  his  interposition,  and  he 
may  stop  the  circulation  of  pamphlets,  newspapers,  and  letters  too, 
for  aught  I  can  see  to  the  contrary.  These  postmasters  are  to  a 
man  the  subservient  tools  of  Jackson,  Kendal,  &  Co.,  and  may 
consider  it  "  patriotism  to  disregard  the  laws  "  by  preventing  the 


156  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat  55. 

circulation  of  all  publications  opposed  to  the  reigning  dynasty  and 
the  legitimate  succession. 

The  abolitionists,  Arthur  Tappan  and  his  fanatical  coadjutors,  are 
certainly  engaged  in  a  most  mischievous  undertaking,  which  may 
bring  destruction  upon  their  own  heads  and  civil  war  into  the 
bosom  of  our  hitherto  happy  country ;  but  the  remedy  is  worse  than 
the  disease.  If  they  are  punished,  if  their  dangerous  career  is 
arrested,  it  must  be  done  according  to  law.  I  do  not  choose  to  sur- 
render the  power  of  executing  justice  into  the  hands  of  the  slave- 
owners of  South  Carolina. 

August  14.  —  That  affair   is  over.     The  mob  have 
Mob"""  dispersed  after  pulling  down  five  or   six  fine  houses, 

burning  the  furniture,  and  drinking  the  old  wine.  The 
number  of  persons  killed  was  exaggerated  in  the  first  accounts.  It 
does  not  exceed  seven.  This  was  one  of  Amos  Kendal's  cases,  in 
which  the  people  determined  that  the  "  laws  were  perverted,  and  it 
was  patriotism  to  disregard  them." 

August  19. — The  "  Constitution  "  sailed  this  morning 
on  a  cruise  in  the  Mediterranean,  with  Jackson's  head 

Ironsides.  '  •' 

disgracing  her  bow,  and  Commodore  Elliot  her  quar- 
ter-deck. The  vile  sycophancy  which  caused  the  former  to  be 
placed  where  it  is,  obtained  for  the  latter  a  distinction  which  would 
not  have  been  awarded  to  him  by  any  brother  officer  in  the  navy. 

A  meeting  has  been  called  in  Boston  for  21st  instant, 
Meetin  "  ''^""  sigucd  by  fifteen  hundred  persons,  at  the  head  of  whom 
is  Harrison  G.  Otis,  to  express  their  disapprobation  of 
the  proceedings  of  the  fanatics  who  are  seeking  to  sow  the  seeds  of 
discord  among  our  fellow-citizens  of  the  South,  and  to  excite  the 
slaves  to  revolt  against  their  masters.  This  may  be  good.  It  will 
serve  to  convince  the  slave- o\\Tiers  that  the  number  of  those  who 
seek  to  do  them  harm  is  too  inconsiderable  to  give  them  uneasi- 
ness. I  should  approve  of  such  a  meeting  in  New  York,  if  it  could 
be  conducted  without  violence  and  party-spirit. 

At  Home,  Wednesday,  Aug.  26.  —  The  abolition  question  con- 


I 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  1 57 

tinues  to  agitate  the  public  mind,  and  acquires  hourly  a  most  alarm- 
ng  interest.  A  great  meeting  is  to  be  held  to-morrow  afternoon,  in 
the  Park,  of  those  opposed  to  the  incendiary  proceedings  of  the 
abolitionists.  The  call  is  signed  by  several  hundred  persons,  of  dif- 
ferent political  parties,  headed  by  the  Mayor.  One  object  of  my 
coming  to  town  is  to  attend  this  meeting,  for  I  am  desirous  that 
persons  of  character  should  be  present  in  the  greatest  possible 
numbers,  with  the  twofold  object  of  convincing  the  people  of  the 
South  that  the  incendiaries  constitute  an  inconsiderable  proportion 
of  our  citizens,  and  to  prevent  any  violence  which  might  possibly 
be  attempted  by  turbulent  persons  ever  on  the  lookout  for  a  row, 
for  it  is  certain  that  in  the  present  state  of  feeling  the  least  spark 
would  create  a  flame  in  which  the  lives  and  property  of  x\rthur 
Tappan  and  his  associates  would  be  endangered. 

August  27.  —  The  public  meeting  of  citizens  opposed  to  the 
abolition  society,  and  the  interference  of  individuals  between  the 
masters  and  the  slaves  in  the  Southern  States,  was  held  this  after- 
noon, at  four  o'clock,  in  the  Park.  The  following  were  the  officers, 
and  if  wisdom  is  found  in  a  multitude  of  counsellors  this  must  have 
been  an  eminently  wise  assemblage  :  President,  His  Honor  the 
Mayor.  Vice-Presidents,  Thomas  L.  Oaklc}',  William  T.  jMcCoun, 
David  B.  Ogden,  Henry  Parish,  Peter  Crary,  Walter  Eowne,  John 
L.  Morgan,  Luman  Reed,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  Campbell  P.  White, 
Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  Philip  Hone,  Edward  Curtis,  Thaddeus 
Phelps,  Joseph  Cowdin,  Daniel  Jackson,  Charles  A.  Davis,  George 
L.  Robbins,  Charles  L.  Livingston,  Reuben  Withers,  John  D.  Wolf, 
Seth  Geer,  Egbert  Benson,  John  L.  Graham,  Isaac  H.  Varian, 
Robert  Center,  William  L.  Johnson,  Joseph  D.  Beers.  Secretaries, 
John  R.  Marshall,  George  Sharp,  Robert  Pitts,  John  L.  Bailey, 
Isaac  Townsend,  T^Iorgan  L.  Smith,  R.  C.  Wetmore,  James  Lee, 
Henry  H.  Elliott,  Seneca  Stewart,  Thomas  C,  Doremus,  George  L. 
Easton.  The  preamble  and  resolutions  were  all  very  temperate 
and  proper,  the  proceedings  orderly,  and  the  large  assembly  broke 
up  without  the  least  indecorum. 


158  THE   DIARY   OF   riilLIP   HONE.  DEtat.  55. 

At  Home,  Tuesday,  Sept.  i  .  —  The  marine  Pavilion  is  now 
"  a  banquet-hall  deserted."  This  establishment,  gotten  up  and 
supported  at  so  great  an  expense,  has  been  neglected  by  the  New 
Yorkers,  with  the  exception  of  my  family  and  connections  and  a 
few  others.  The  house  has  been  encouraged  only  by  Philadel- 
phians  and  other  strangers.  The  fashionable  people  of  our  city 
have  preferred  the  Virginia  Springs,  Saratoga,  Newport,  and  a  place 
they  call  Sachem's  Head,  to  a  house  of  their  own  possessing  advan- 
tages greater  than  any  other. 

We  had  a  pretty  sight  at  Rockaway.     Shortly  before 
Packets.  -^tq  came  away,  the  three  outward-bound  packets  were 

all  in  sight  in  a  line  with  the  beach,  about  a  mile  apart ; 
vaz.,  the  "Toronto,"  for  London;  "Caledonia,"  for  Liverpool; 
and  "  Utica,"  for  Havre.  The  wind  was  light,  but  fair,  and  these 
noble  vessels,  under  full  sail,  passed,  slowly,  steadily,  and  gracefully 
on  to  their  several  destinations.  May  they  arrive  in  safety  to  "  the 
havens  where  they  would  be  "  ! 

Boston,  Saturday,  Sept.  5. — We  landed  the  New- 
Boston  P°^^  passengers,  of  whom  Mrs.  Ritchie  was  one,  at  five 
o'clock.  Mrs.  James  W.  Otis  came  on  to  Providence. 
At  eight  o'clock  we  left  Providence  on  the  railroad  and  arrived  here 
at  three-quarters  past  ten.  Dr.  Wainwright  was  our  fellow-passen- 
ger from  New  York.  We  got  a  tolerably  good  bed-chamber  at  the 
Tremont  House,  and  were  regularly  installed  into  the  comforts  of 
]\Ir.  Belknap's  pleasant  parlour.  I  found,  among  the  inmates  of  the 
house,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richard  Bayard,  Mr.  and  Mme.  Podestad, 
Francis  March,  John  C.  Hamilton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  DeWitt  Blood- 
good,  Miss  Mary  Van  Schaick,  and  many  other  acquaintances. 

Speculation  in  real  estate  has  reached  as  great  a  height  as  in 
New  York,  pulling  dowTi  and  rebuilding  in  the  fashion  of  the  day, 
and  it  seems  as  if  all  the  world  had  entered  into  a  combination  to 
exhaust  the  quarries  of  granite  in  the  neighbourhood.  A  company, 
consisting  of  Patrick  T.  Jackson,  Abbott  Lawrence,  and  William 
Appleton,  have  bought  the  ancient  house  and  grounds  of  the  late 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  I  59 

Gardiner  Greene,  on  Court  street,  and  the  adjoining  property  of 
Deacon  Philips,  at  enormous  prices,  pulled  down  the  houses,  lev- 
elled a  hill  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  made  fifty  or  sixty  building 
lots,  of  which  they  will  make  maps  and  sell  the  whole  at  auction, 
and,  availing  themselves  of  the  present  rage,  will  no  doubt  make  a 
great  deal  of  money. 

September  6.  —  In  the  afternoon  I  visited  and  had  a  delightful 
talk  of  two  or  three  hours  with  Mr.  IT.  G.  Otis,  where  I  drank  tea, 
and  went  in  the  evening  to  Mr.  Peter  Parker's,  Mr.  Samuel  D. 
Parker's,  and  Mr.  Sullivan's,  at  each  of  which  places  I  had  been 
invited  to  those  agreeable  Sunday-evening  parties  for  which  the 
Bostonians  are  so  celebrated,  and  which  I  enjoy  so  much. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  8. — The  Legislature  is  in  session.  I  went  this 
morning,  first  to  the  Senate  and  afterward  to  the  House  of 
Assembly.  In  the  latter  chamber,  Mr.  George  Blake,  who  is  a 
member,  placed  me  in  a  most  conspicuous  seat,  near  the  Speaker, 
and  close  to  the  clerk's  table,  in  view  of  the  whole  House,  Avhere  I 
received  the  attentions  of  several  of  the  members  with  whom  I  was 
acquainted.  This  is  an  extra  session  for  revising  the  laws  of  the 
State.  The  number  of  members  is  too  great.  The  House  consists 
of  upwards  of  six  hundred,  of  whom  four  hundred  were  present 
this  morning.  They  are  a  good-looking,  orderly  body  of  men,  and 
their  business  is  conducted  in  a  decorous,  gentlemanly  manner. 

In  the  evening  I  went  to  a  party  at  Mrs.  Augustus  Thorndike's. 
A    prettier   party,   a   more   tasteful    house,    I    have   never   seen. 
Madame  Podestad  and  the  Count  sang  delightfully.     Mrs.  Thorn- 
dike's  sisters,  ]\Irs.  Delprat  and  Mrs.  Calvert,  and  their  father.  Dr.  • 
Stuart,  of  Baltimore,  are  here  on  a  visit. 

September  9. — At  eleven  o'clock  precisely  we  started  on  the 
railroad  for  Lowell ;  arrived  at  a  quarter-past  twelve.  Started  on 
our  return  at  two,  and  got  to  Boston  at  half-past  three.  The  dis- 
tance is  twenty-five  miles.  There  is  a  prodigious  deal  of  travelling 
on  the  road.  They  take  seventy-five  minutes  to  perform  the  dis- 
tance, and  the  punctuality  is  astonishing.     There  was  not  a  varia- 


l60  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLTP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

tion  of  half  a  minute  in  starting  and  arriving  eitlier  way.  Our  time 
was  rather  short  in  Lowell,  but  long  enough  to  see  this  lion  of  New 
England  ;  this  Manchester  of  America  ;  this  city  of  enormous  brick 
factories,  of  canals  and  waste-gates,  of  billies  and  jennies,  of 
jacks  and  spindles. 

I  dined  at  Mr.  H.  G.  Otis's,  and  had,  as  is  always  the  case  in  the 
house  of  this  agreeable  and  hospitable  gentleman,  a  most  capital 
dinner.  Mrs.  Ritchie  (who  came  with  her  mother  yesterday  from 
Newport)  presided  at  the  dinner,  and  imparted  to  it  the  charm 
which  always  attends  her  presence.  The  company,  besides  myself, 
consisted  of  Mr.  and  Madame  Podestad,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bayard, 
Messrs.  Belknap,  F.  Grey,  Sears,  Middleton,  J.  G.  Pierson,  of  New 
York,  and  Allyn  Otis. 

September  10.  —  This  day  has  been  devoted  to  a  sailing  and 
fishing  party,  in  the  beautiful  bay  of  Boston,  on  board  the 
"  Dream,"  —  a  pleasure  schooner  belonging  to  a  company  of  gentle- 
men of  this  place.  She  was  formerly  owned  in  New  York  by 
Hosack,  Center,  and  my  son  Robert  and  others.  We  left  Boston 
at  ten  o'clock,  the  party  consisting  of  Messrs.  Brooks,  Belknap, 
Whitwell,  Isaac  P.  Davis,  Colonel  Freeman,  Philip,  and  myself. 
After  we  had  proceeded  twenty  miles  down  the  bay,  and  were  en- 
gaged in  fishing,  we  were  joined  by  the  celebrated  sloop  (formerly 
Mr.  Cushing's  boat),  whose  passengers,  Messrs.  Forbes,  Bryant, 
and  Sturgis,  joined  our  party.  We  sailed  in  company  during  the 
remainder  of  the  day,  which  was  passed  in  joviality  and  good- 
humour.  We  caught  about  three  dozen  codfish  and  haddock,  ate 
our  chowder,  drank  any  quantity  of  punch,  champagne,  and  old 
Madeira.  The  weather  was  fine  as  possible,  the  wind  fair  both 
going  and  returning,  and  we  got  home  about  eight  o'clock. 

September  ii.  —  I  passed  this  morning  in  returning  visits.  Mr. 
Sears  called  to  see  me,  and  took  me  to  his  house  to  see  a  number 
of  capital  pictures  which  he  has  lately  brought  from  Italy.  They 
are  copies  from  celebrated  pictures,  and  possess  great  merit.  Mr. 
Sears's  house  is  certainly  the   finest  in  the  United   States.     The 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  161 

front,  on  I'leacon  street,  is  one  hundred  feet.  They  say  it  cost 
^175,000;  and  this  noble  house  is  filled  with  treasures  of  art. 
Among  the  pictures  are  the  "  Miriam  "  and  another  of  Allston's. 
Mr.  Sears  went  to  Europe  for  his  health,  which  was  much  impaired, 
and  returned  quite  well  in  July  last. 

September  12.  —  This  day  must  be  marked  with  a 

"  /  white  stone.     It  was  one  of  the  most  pleasant  of  my 

life.  I  expected  much  from  it,  hut  my  expectation  has 
been  more  than  realized.  At  six  o'clock  Philip  and  I  went,  by  pre- 
cious arrangement  and  breakfasted  with  the  acting  governor,  Sam- 
uel T.  Armstrong.  After  breakfast  we  started  in  his  carriage,  the 
party  consisting  of  the  Governor,  his  military  staff,  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral Dearborn,  Colonel  Winthrop,  and  ourselves.  The  morning  was 
lowering,  but  it  soon  cleared,  and  the  weather  during  the  day  was 
peculiarly  favourable.  On  arriving  at  Lexington,  eleven  miles  from 
Boston,  we  left  the  carriage,  and  visited  the  celebrated  spot  behind 
the  meeting-house  where  the  first  blood  was  shed  in  the  glorious 
cause  e^  American  independence,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  -^ 
granite  monument  has  been  erected  on  the  spot  where  the  bones 
of  the  first  martyrs  in  that  cause  were  interred.  No  description 
nor  drawing  of  the  spot  could  convey  to  my  mind  so  full  an  idea 
of  the  events  of  that  important  day  in  the  history  of  my  country 
as  a  view  of  it,  with  the  detailed  account  I  received  from  my  com- 
panions. 

We  proceeded  to  Concord,  seven  miles  farther  by  the  same  road 
which  the  British  took  after  the  skirmish  at  Lexington,  where  they 
were  opposed  by  the  militia,  and  where  the  first  regular  battle  took 
place.     At  Concord,  therefore,  the  revolution  commenced. 

^^'e  found  the  whole  population  in  motion,  waiting  to  receive  us ; 
proceeded,  agreeably  to  arrangement,  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Hoar, 
member  of  Congress  from  the  district,  from  whence  we  went  to  the 
hotel,  where  a  grand  procession  was  formed,  escorted  by  a  com- 
pany of  troops.  The  procession  passed  through  a  line  of  ladies 
and   children  (the  latter  pupils  of  the  schools),  and  entered  the 


1 62  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^Etat.  55. 

meeting-house  in  which  the  exercises  of  the  day  were  to  be  per- 
formed. These  exercises  were  introduced  by  prayer  from  the 
venerable  pastor,  Dr.  Ripley,  a  hearty  old  gentleman  eighty-four 
years  old,  as  he  informed  me  himself.  Several  odes  were  sung,  and 
an  excellent  oration  spoken  by  the  Rev.  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  a 
young  clergyman  of  distinguished  talents  and  eloquence.  It  was 
full  of  interesting  details  relative  to  the  first  settlement  of  Concord, 
the  first  inland  town  settled  in  the  colony.  The  grant  which  was 
made  to  the  Rev.  Peter  Buckley  and  Major  Simon  Willard  was 
dated  2d  Sept.,  1635,  old  style.  The  history  of  the  sufferings  and 
privations  of  the  first  settlers  and  their  immediate  descendants, 
their  wars  and  adventures  with  the  Indians,  and  many  facts  illus- 
trative of  those  primitive  times  carefully  collated  from  the  ancient 
town  records  up  to  the  time  when  this  little  republic  of  honest 
Yankees  was  called  to  act  an  important  part  in  the  revolution 
which  separated  the  western  world  from  the  dominion  of  the 
mother-country,  gave  a  vivid  interest  to  the  oration,  the  reading  of 
which  occupied  two  hours.  The  services  all  partook  of  the  spirit 
of  the  olden  times;  amongst  them  was  the  "  107th  Psalm,  tune 
St.  INIartin's,"  "  from  the  New  England  version  used  in  the  New 
England  churches  in  1640,"  which  was  sung  by  the  whole  assem- 
blage, the  deacon  giving  it  out  line  by  line. 

The  exercises  in  the  meeting-house  concluded  at  two  o'clock, 
when  the  procession  formed  again  and  marched  to  a  great  pavilion 
on  the  green,  where  tables  and  a  cold  collation  were  spread,  and 
about  four  hundred  as  honest-looking  Yankees  as  ever  sat  down  to 
eat  cold  roast  pig  were  assembled.  Never  have  I  seen  anything  of 
the  kind  so  decidedly  American ;  no  foreign  influence  ;  no  grating 
brogue  ;  every  man  looked  and  acted  as  if  the  honour  of  his  virtu- 
ous ancestors  was  in  his  sole  keeping.  Mr.  Keyes,  member  of  the 
General  Court  from  Concord,  presided  with  great  ability.  There 
were  no  regular  toasts,  but  the  president  gave  them,  prefaced  by 
some  apt  remarks  calculated  to  draw  out  in  succession  the  distin- 
guished guests.     We  had  speeches  from  Lieutenant-Governor  Arm- 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  163 

Strong,  Mr.  Everett,  Mr.  Philips,  member  of  Congress  from  Salem ; 
General  Dearborn,  and  Colonel  Winthrop,  of  the  Governor's  staff; 
Judge  Davis,  Mr.  Bradford,  and  Mr.  Emerson,  the  orator  of  the 
day.  I  also  was  called  out  by  a  toast  from  the  Chair,  complimen- 
tary to  myself  and  the  city  of  New  York,  and  replied  in  a  speech 
which  must  have  been  pretty  good,  unless  I  mistook  the  expressions 
of  kindness  to  a  stranger  for  an  approval  of  his  sentiments  and  his 
manner  of  conveying  them  to  the  audience.  I  closed  my  address 
with  the  following  toast :  "  Concord  and  Boston,  the  birthplace  and 
cradle  of  American  liberty ;  good  nursing  has  made  the  babe 
healthy  and  vigorous,  but  she  requires  watching  more  now  than 
ever." 

Our  party  went  from  the  dinner-table  to  visit  the  ladies,  who  had 
invited  us  to  drink  coffee  with  them  at  their  banquet.  The  court- 
house was  beautifully  fitted  up  with  festoons  and  wreaths  of  flowers 
and  evergreens,  and  tables  were  spread  at  which  all  the  ladies  of 
Concord  had  dined.  There  was  not  a  house  in  the  whole  town 
probably  at  which  dinner  had  been  provided  this  day,  and  not  one 
which  contained  an  inhabitant  who  was  able  to  leave  it,  and  here  I 
was,  talking  to  fine  Yankee  women  and  blooming  Yankee  girls  until 
the  Governor's  carriage  was  announced,  which  carried  us  unwill- 
ingly away,  and  we  arrived  in  Boston  at  nine  o'clock.  I  have  been 
delighted  with  this  affair,  for  it  was  precisely  one  of  those  which  I 
have  long  desired  to  witness ;  and  the  honour  which  has  been  con- 
ferred upon  me  on  this  occasion  I  shall  remember  with  gratitude. 

I  had  forgotten  to  remark  that  we  had  amongst  us,  in  the  meet- 
ing-house and  at  the  dinner,  eight  or  ten  old  gentlemen  who  were 
soldiers  of  the  battle  of  Concord  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775. 
They  were  eloquently  alluded  to  by  the  orator  of  the  day,  and 
verbal  laurels  were  showered  upon  their  hoary  heads  in  abun- 
dance by  several  of  the  gentlemen  who  spoke  at  dinner. 

Sunday,  Sept.  13.  —  We  went  this  morning  to  the  King's 
Chapel,  and  heard  a  good  sermon  from  Dr.  Greenwood,  the  Uni- 
tarian pastor  of  that  congregation. 


l64  THE   DIARY   OF   TIIILir   HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

One  of  the  pillars  intended  for  the  portico  of  the  new  court- 
house was  brought  into  the  city  this  evening  from  Quincy.  It 
weighs  between  twenty-eight  and  thirty  tons,  and  was  drawn  by 
forty-two  yoke  of  oxen. 

September  14.  —  We  went  this  morning  to  see  the  pictures  at 
the  Athenaeum,  principally  a  head  by  Allston,  "  Isaac  of  York," 
which,  notwithstanding  the  praise  so  liberally  bestowed  upon  it 
by  the  Bostonians,  I  do  not  like.  But  there  are  some  fine  pict- 
ures belonging  to  the  Academy  which  required  more  time  to 
examine  than  I  had  to  bestow,  for  I  had  to  return  to  my  lodgings 
to  take  a  luncheon  preparatory  to  my  departure. 

September  15. — The  Legislature  of  Mississippi  have  passed  a 
law  offering  a  reward  of  ^5,000  for  the  arrest  and  conviction  of 
any  person  "  who  shall  utter,  publish,  or  circulate  within  the  limits 
of  that  State,  the  *  Liberator,'  or  any  other  paper,  circular,  pam- 
phlet, letter,  or  address  of  a  seditious  character." 

September  23.  —  The  plan  for  macadamizing    the 
Br^'dw  street   before    my   house   not   having    fully   answered 

public  expectation,  the  corporation  have  been  trying 
a  new  experiment  in  Broadway,  in  front  of  the  block  between 
Warren  and  Chambers  streets,  copied  from  a  plan  of  paving  in  St. 
Petersburgh,  Russia.  The  street  is  excavated  to  the  depth  of 
about  two  feet ;  a  layer  of  broken  stone  is  placed,  such  as  is  used 
for  macadamizing,  on  the  top  of  which  a  regular  pavement  of 
round  stones,  the  whole  covered  by  a  compact  course  of  wooden 
blocks,  sexagonal,  one  foot  in  length,  and  placed  vertically.  These 
are  made  to  fit  very  nicely,  the  interstices  (which  of  course  are 
small)  filled  with  liquid  tar,  and  covered  with  a  thin  coat  of  gravel. 
The  street  was  used  yesterday  for  the  first  time,  and  the  multitudi- 
nous train  of  omnibuses,  carriages,  carts,  and  wagons  which  infest 
Broadway  appeared  to  pass  over  the  new  Appian  way  "  pretty 
tolerably  slick."  But  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  hemlock 
timber  is  less  destructible  than  Nyack  stone,  and  whether  three  dis- 
tinct layers  of  road  may  not  peradventure  cost  more  than  one. 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  '     165 

Sefiemrer  30.  —  I  took  Mr.  Brevoort,  Mr.  Louis  McLane,  and 
Washington  Irving  out  in  the  carriage  to  dine  with  old  Mr.  Astor, 
at  Hell-gate.  A\'e  had  a  pleasant,  easy,  sociable  dinner,  and 
returned  home  at  nine  o'clock. 

Jones  Scherraerhorn  and  Mary  came  in  town  this  morning 
to  stay  with  us  until  they  sail.  The  day  of  their  departure, 
alas  !  approaches  very  fast.  This  day  week  my  dear  girls  leave 
me ;  it  would  be  nothing  to  part  with  them  if  Mary's  health 
were  not  precarious.  If  she  were  the  gay,  jocund,  bright- 
eyed,  and  cherry-cheeked  creature  she  formerly  was,  her  voyage 
would  be  a  pleasure  to  me  as  to  herself;  but  Heaven  will  hear 
my  prayers,  unworthy  as  I  am,  and  return  in  due  time  my 
beloved  child  to  me,  looking  and  acting  and  talking  as  Mary 
Hone   used   to   do. 

October  5 .  —  The  penny  papers  and  the  two-penny  people  of 
our  slander-loving  city  have  nuts  to  crack  in  a  spree  which  took 
place  last  night,  in  which  the  performers  were  the  young  noblemen 
who  are  here.  The  Marquis  of  Waterford,  Lord  John  Beresford,  Lord 
Jocelyn,  and  Colonel  Dundas  dinfed  yesterday  on  board  the  yacht 
belonging  to  the  Marquis,  got  drunk,  came  on  shore,  made  a  row, 
had  a  battle  with  the  watch,  were  overcome,  taken  to  the  watch- 
house,  and  kept  in  durance  vile  until  this  morning,  when  they  were 
liberated  by  the  Mayor.  The  papers,  with  their  usual  veracity, 
charge  upon  the  ]\Liyor  the  offence  of  entertaining  these  gentle- 
men at  dinner  yesterday  and  making  them  drunk;  but  it  is 
not  true.  Some  of  them  dined  with  him  on  Tuesday,  as  I  know, 
for  I  was  there ;  but  he  is  not  chargeable  with  this  Sunday's 
entertainment. 

OcroBER  8.  —  This  has  been  a  day  of  severe  trial 
m'^'Dau'.^htcrs  ^^^  "^^  ^^^  ^^^  flxmily.  My  daughters,  Mary  and 
Catharine,  with  Mary's  husband,  J.  Jones  Schermerhorn, 
and  Gen.  James  J.  Jones,  sailed  for  Havre  in  the  packet-ship 
"  Poland,"  Captain  Anthony.  Everything  was  propitious.  She  is 
a  noble    ship,    has    admirable    accommodations,    and    a   first-rate 


l66  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

commander.  The  weather,  which  has  been  stormy  the  first  of  the 
week,  cleared  up,  and  a  more  beautiful  morning  never  broke  upon 
the  eyes  of  anxious  travellers  and  their  friends.  The  wind,  too,  was 
quite  fair,  and  it  would  have  been  a  holiday  for  us  had  not  my  dear 
Mary's  health  been  so  delicate  that  fears,  anxieties,  and  fore- 
bodings dashed  the  cup  of  enjoyment  from  their  lips  and  ours. 
All  the  relations  and  intimate  friends  of  the  family  called  in  the 
morning,  and  the  anguish  of  parting  and  the  excitement  caused  by 
the  number  of  persons  present  was  too  much  for  poor  Mary,  and 
I  thought  at  one  time  it  would  have  overcome  her,  but  she  went 
off  tolerably  well. 

October  12.  —  The  friends  of  General  Harrison, 
^T^^T  ^  the  Whig  candidate,  got  up  a  festival  and  dinner  on  the 
5th,  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  in 
which  he  was  the  commanding  general.  This  affair  took  place 
twenty  odd  years  ago,  and  this  is  the  first  time  it  has  been  cele- 
brated in  this  part  of  the  country ;  but  as  glorification  is  the  order 
of  the  day,  the  Harrisonites  thought  it  was  better  late  than  never. 
But  the  best  of  the  joke  is,  that  the  Van  Buren  men  determined  to 
have  a  glorification  of  the  same  event,  in  honour  of  their  candidate 
for  the  Vice- Presidency,  Richard  M.  Johnson,  who  fought  in  the 
same  battle,  and,  as  they  say,  killed  Tecumseh  ;  but  he  didn't.  So 
they  had  a  dinner  at  Tammany  Hall  on  the  same  day.  The  Mayor 
presided,  as  a  set-off  against  General  Bogardus,  the  president  of  the 
other  party ;  and  amongst  the  regular  toasts,  and  the  one  hundred 
and  one  volunteers,  of  which  Johnson  was  the  oft-repeated  burthen, 
not  a  single  man  had  the  grace  to  mention  the  name  of  Harrison. 
The  play  of  Hamlet  was  performed,  the  part  of  Hamlet  (by 
particular  desire)  left  out. 

October  13.  —  Miss  Helen  Kane  was  at  our  house  last  evening, 
and  went  home  attended  by  Robert.  A  long  time  afterward  a 
messenger  came  to  inquire  about  her.  Nicholson,  her  lover,  met 
them  on  the  way,  took  the  lady  from  Robert,  and  one  of  those 
moonlight  walks  so  dear  to  lovers  was  the  consequence. 


i83S-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  iCj 

October  14.  —  The  gambling  in  stocks  in  Wall 
GambUng.  Street  has  arrived  at  such  a  pitch,  and  the  sudden 
reverses  of  fortune  are  so  frequent,  that  it  is  a  matter 
of  every-day  intelligence  that  some  unlucky  rascal  has  lost  other 
people's  money  to  a  large  amount,  and  run  away,  or  l)een  caught 
and  consigned  to  the  hands  of  justice.  It  is  one  taken  from  the 
mass ;  there  is  some  swearing  among  the  losers,  some  regret  on  the 
part  of  the  immediate  friends  of  the  defaulter,  but  the  chasm  on 
the  face  of  society  which  his  detection  and  removal  occasions  is 
filled  up  in  a  day  or  two.  They  go  to  work  again  to  cheat  each 
other,  and  the  catastrophe  of  Monday  is  forgotten  by  Saturday 
night. 

The  Count  Survilliers  (Joseph  Bonaparte)  arrived  yesterday  at 
Philadelphia,  in  the  ship  "  Monongahela,"  from  Liverpool.  His 
visit  to  Europe  was  said,  at  the  time  of  his  departure  from  this 
country,  to  be  in  consequence  of  certain  revolutionary  movements 
in  France,  which  indicated  a  chance  for  the  restoration  of  the 
Bonapartes  to  the  throne.  If  such  was  his  motive  he  has  been 
disappointed,  and  it  is  likely  he  will  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life 
in  the  United  States. 

October  24.  —  The  excitement  about  abolition 
Meetin'T  Hicetings  is  increasing,  and,  as  I  feared,  the  remedy 
is  becoming  worse  than  the  disease.  The  abolition 
convention  was  to  have  assembled  at  Utica  on  Wednesday,  and  the 
Common  Council  had  granted  to  them  the  use  of  the  court-room 
in  which  to  hold  the  meeting.  This  was  highly  disapproved  by  a 
large  proportion  of  the  citizens ;  the  consent  was  withdrawn,  and 
the  convention  procured  one  of  the  churches.  An  opposition 
meeting  wms  held  on  the  same  day,  which  succeeded  in  preventing 
the  convention  from  meeting,  and  compelled  the  members  to  leave 
the  city,  although  in  their  number  were  reverend  divines  and  sage 
judges,  and  a  speech  of  that  ass  Lewis  Tappan  was  cut  short  in  the 
middle. 

October  25.  —  My  birthday.     I  am  fifty-five  years  of  age.     My 


l6S  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

health  is  tolerably  good,  my  faculties  unimpaired,  my  mind  capable, 
I  believe,  as  ever  it  was,  but  less  disposed  to  exertion ;  my  temper, 
I  fear,  a  little  more  irritable  than  it  should  be,  and  I  cannot  jump  so 
high,  nor  run  so  fast,  as  I  did  twenty  years  ago ;  but,  on  the  whole, 
I  have  not  much  reason  to  complain,  and  am  better  off  in  all 
respects  than  I  deserve  to  be. 

October  26.  —  Mr.  Van  Buren  has  been  in  town  about  ten 
days,  I  called  to  see  him  and  invited  him  to  dine,  but  others  had 
the  start  of  me,  and  he  was  engaged  for  the  whole  of  his  stay  in 
the  city.  He  leaves  town  to-morrow.  He  looks  very  well,  and, 
from  his  ease  of  manner  and  imperturbable  good  temper,  it  might 
be  supposed  that  he  had  less  to  occupy  and  trouble  his  mind  than 
any  man  in  New  York.  His  outward  appearance  is  like  the 
unruffled  surface  of  the  majestic  river  which  covers  rocks  and 
whirlpools,  but  shows  no  marks  of  the  agitation  beneath. 

The  general  meeting  took  place  last  evening,  at 
MeTtir^  '^  Tammany  Hall,  to  approve  of  the  nomination  of  a 
member  of  Congress  in  place  of  Campbell  P.  White, 
and  the  Assembly  ticket.  Great  opposition  was  expected  from  the 
anti- monopoly  agrarian  and  pledge  party,  and  one  of  these  rows 
for  which  Tammany  Hall  is  famous  took  place,  and  great  was  the 
confusion  and  dire  the  din  which  prevailed  in  the  wigwam.  The 
opposition  was  directed  principally  against  the  nomination  of 
Gideon  Lee  for  Congress.  He  is  thought  to  be  a  little  too  much 
of  a  gentleman.  The  regulars,  however,  having  previously  made 
their  arrangements  disregarding  the  opposition,  declared  the  nomi- 
nations agreed  to,  adjourned  the  meeting,  and  put  out  the  lights. 
The  malcontents,  however,  were  not  content  to  grope  thus  in  the 
dark,  but  each  producing  from  his  pocket  a  tallow-candle,  ten  to 
the  pound,  and  a  loco-foco  to  ignite  it,  soon  brought  matters  to 
light  again,  reorganized  the  meeting  by  placing  the  noted  dema- 
gogue, Joel  G.  Seaver,  in  the  chair,  passed  resolutions  condemning 
banks  and  other  monopolies  and  approving  the  system  of  legislative 
pledges,  substituted  Charles  G.  Ferris  for  Congress  in  place  of  Mr. 


I835-]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  169 

Lee,  put  Job  Haskell  and  three  or  four  others  on  the  Assembly 
ticket,  and  marched  up  to  the  Bowery  to  the  music  of  their  own 
throats  and  the  light  of  their  own  candles. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Native  American  Association,  made  up  of 
different  parties,  and  having  no  other  bond  of  union  than  the  total 
exclusion  of  foreigners  from  office,  have  had  a  meeting  and  nomi- 
nated an  Assembly  ticket,  of  whom  I  do  not  know  an  individual ; 
but  I  like  the  ostensible  object  of  this  association,  and  am  of  the 
opinion  that  times  may  come  and  cases  occur  in  which  its  influence 
may  be  favourably  exercised. 

October  31.  —  The  Native  American  Association  have  nominated 
James  Monroe  for  Congress.  The  split  among  the  Tammany  folks 
is  so  wide,  and  their  animosity  against  each  other  so  bitter,  that 
Monroe  may  very  easily  be  elected  if  the  Whigs  can  be  interested 
sufficiently  in  the  event  to  induce  them  to  go  to  the  polls. 

November  i  i  .  —  I  went  this  evening  to  the  Chatham- 
Oratorios,  street  chapel  to  hear  the  oratorio  of  the  "  Messiah  "  per- 
formed by  the  Sacred  Music  Society,  and  was  astonished 
at  the  magnificence  of  the  scene  ;  the  audience,  of  whom  a  large 
proportion  were  ladies,  must  have  amounted  to  between  two  and 
three  thousand.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood,  Mrs.  Franklin,  Brough,  and 
Pierson  were  the  principal  singers.  The  chorus  consisted  of  upward 
of  a  hundred  ;  the  females,  all  dressed  alike  in  white  and  arranged 
on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  music  gallery,  formed  a  beautiful  and 
interesting  coup  d'ceil.  The  ground- floor,  which  is  very  capacious, 
and  two  large  galleries  were  so  crowded  that  I  could  scarcely  find 
standing-room  behind  the  benches,  and  I  came  away  before  this 
rational  and  delightful  entertainment  was  finished. 

How  little  do  the  people  of  such  a  city  as  NewYork  know  what 
is  passing  around  them  !  These  oratorios  have  been  going  on  for 
a  long  time,  and  I  have  never  heard  them  spoken  of;  while  if  I 
had  attended  such  an  exhibition  in  a  foreign  country  it  would 
have  been  the  theme  of  a  glowing  and  animated  description,  and 
very  probably  I  shoukl  have  lamented  the  want  of  such  things  in 


I/O  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  55. 

my  own  country.  So  every  night  we  have  four  theatres  open,  and 
one  at  least,  the  Park,  full  at  every  performance,  and  making 
money  fost  enough,  I  should  say,  to  satisfy  even  Mr.  Simpson, 
the  proprietor. 

The  avidity  with  which  people  crowd  to  hear  these  oratorios,  and 
the  immense  houses  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood  bring  nightly  to  the 
Park,  prove  that  the  New  Yorkers  are  not  devoid  of  musical  taste, 
notwithstanding  that  the  Italian  opera  does  not  succeed,  and  the 
proprietors  are  about  selling  their  opera-house  (the  neatest  and 
most  beautiful  theatre  in  the  United  States,  and  unsurpassed  in 
Europe)  ;  but  there  are  two  reasons  for  this,  both  of  which  savour 
much  of  the  John  Bullism  which  we  have  inherited  from  our  fore- 
fathers. The  first  is,  that  we  want  to  understand  the  language ;  we 
cannot  endure  to  sit  by  and  see  the  performers  splitting  their  sides 
with  laughter,  and  we  not  take  the  joke  ;  dissolved  in  "  briny  tears," 
and  we  not  permitted  to  sympathize  with  them ;  or  running  each 
other  through  the  body,  and  we  devoid  of  the  means  of  condemning 
or  justifying  the  act.  The  other  is  the  private  boxes,  so  elegantly 
fitted  up,  which  occupy  the  whole  of  the  second  tier.  They  cost 
six  thousand  dollars  each,  to  be  sure,  and  the  use  of  them  is  all 
that  the  proprietors  get  for  their  money ;  but  it  forms  a  sort  of 
aristocratical  distinction.  Many  people  do  not  choose  to  occupy 
seats  (more  pleasant  and  commodious  than  they  can  find  in  any 
other  theatre)  while  others  recline  upon  satin  cushions,  and  rest 
their  elbows  upon  arm-chairs,  albeit  they  are  bought  with  their  own 
money.  These  causes  have  prevented  the  success  of  the  Italian 
opera,  and  I  do  not  wonder  at  it.  I  like  this  spirit  of  independence 
which  refuses  its  countenance  to  anything  exclusive.  "  Let  the 
proprietors,"  say  the  sovereigns,  "  have  their  private  boxes  and  satin 
cushions ;  they  have  paid  well  for  them  and  are  entitled  to  enjoy 
them.  We  will  not  furnish  the  means  of  supporting  the  establish- 
ment, but  go  to  the  Park  Theatre,  where  it  is  '  first  come,  first 
served  ;  '  where  our  dollar  will  furnish  us  with  '  the  best  the  House 
affords,'  aivl  where  the  Woods  will  provide  us  with  that  dollar's 


I835-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  171 

worth   of  something   we    can   understand   without    the   aid    of  a 
bunghng   translation. 

November  13.  —  This  gentleman  (who,  by  the  bye, 
Booth,  the        j  ^^^^  never  seen)   has  been  playing  at  the  Bowery 

Tragedian.  ^  i.      J      o  J 

Theatre.  He  is  a  great  actor  in  high,  strongly- marked 
tragedy  parts,  such  as  Richard,  lago,  Sir  Giles,  and  Sir  Edward 
Mortimer.  He  is  also  remarkable  for  his  eccentricities,  and  there 
seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  at  times  his  mind  is  alienated ;  he 
gave  a  proof  of  this  on  Monday  night.  He  was  to  play  lago. 
^^'hen  all  was  ready,  the  play  begun,  and  Othello  (Hamblin)  waiting 
for  him,  he  stalked  across  the  stage,  made  an  irregular  exit  by  a 
back  door,  and  was  seen  no  more  that  night  and  for  two  or  three 
following  days.  Some  of  the  audience  got  their  money  back,  and 
the  play  went  on  with  a  substitute  in  the  part.  Poor  Booth  now 
comes  out  with  a  humble  apology  for  the  "  sad  and  unconscious 
act,"  the  excuse  for  which  he  says  "  is  a  serious  visitation,  affecting 
and  enfeebling  my  nerves,  and  a  long  deprivation  of  sleep,  acting 
on  a  body  debilitated  by  previous  illness,  and  a  mind  disordered 
by  domestic  affliction,  occasioning  a  partial  derangement."  He 
prays  to  be  permitted  to  appear  again,  and  says  very  afifectingly, 
"  If  I  find  by  your  reception  that  I  have  offended  beyond  forgive- 
ness, I  will  immediately  withdraw  from  that  stage  where  I  have  ever 
been  treated,  both  by  the  public  and  the  manager,  with  kindness 
and  liberality."  Mr.  Hamblin  has  by  this  apology  been  prevailed 
upon  to  consent  to  his  appearance  to-morrow  evening  in  the  part 
of  Sir  Giles  Overreach,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  public  sympathy 
will  be  excited  to  fill  the  house  and  give  the  poor  fellow  not  only 
the  forgiveness  of  the  audience,  but  a  kind  and  generous  reception. 
A  meeting  of  the  friends  of  General  Harrison  was 
Meetir"         held,  on  Thursday  evening,  at  Constitution  Hall,  to 

recommend  him  as  the  candidate  for  the  Presidency  in 
opposition  to  Mr.  Van  Buren.  I  did  not  attend  this  meeting,  nor 
do  I  intend  to  commit  myself  to  the  support  of  General  Harrison, 
Judge  White,  or  any  other  man,  until  it  is  clearly  ascertained  that 


172  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  C^tat.  55. 

there  is  no  chance  for  Mr.  Webster.  A  meeting  of  his  friends  is 
soon  to  be  called  in  this  city.  That  meeting  I  ze//// attend,  Daniel 
Webster's  claim  is  incomparably  stronger  than  that  of  either  of  the 
other  candidates.  He  is  entitled  to  the  people's  votes,  for  he  is 
their  true  friend,  and  not  the  friend  of  a  party  or  a  section.  He 
merits  the  support  of  his  country,  for  his  patriotism  is  not  of  those 
scanty  proportions  which  will  cover  only  a  part  of  his  country,  and 
the  Constitution  can  never  be  so  safe  in  any  other  hands  as  in  his 
who  has  proved  himself  its  ablest  expounder  and  firmest  supporter. 
I  go,  therefore,  for  Webster  until  it  is  made  manifest  that  he  has 
no  chance  of  success,  and  then  for  the  next  best  man,  Harrison  or 
whoever  it  may  be; 

November  26. — The  following  notice  is  published 
Webster  ^.j^-g  j^oming  with  one  thousand  one  hundred  signatures  : 

"  Liberty  and  Union,  now  and  forever,  one  and  insep- 
arable. The  citizens  of  the  city  and  county  of  New  York,  friendly 
to  the  election  of  Daniel  Webster  to  the  Presidency,  are  requested 
to  assemble  at  Masonic  Hall,  on  Friday  evening,  the  4th  of 
December." 

There  are  now  three  candidates  fairly  in  the  field  in  opposition 
to  Mr.  Van  Buren,  very  much  to  his  satisfaction,  no  doubt ;  the 
more  the  merrier,  the  greater  the  division  amongst  his  opponents 
the  more  certain  his  chance ;  such  things  do  not  happen  in  the 
party  which  supports  him, — they  are  too  well  drilled,  and,  right  or 
wrong,  they  "  go  ahead."  Judge  White,  of  Tennessee,  General 
Harrison,  of  Ohio,  and  Daniel  Webster,  of  Massachusetts,  are  the 
Whig  candidates  in  opposition  to  the  nominee  of  the  Baltimore 
Convention ;  the  friends  of  each  seem  at  present  indisposed  to 
abandon  their  favourite,  but  I  should  not  be  surprised  if,  in  the  end, 
they  should  give  up  their  own  ground  and  take  to  Clay. 

November  27.  —  The  good  people  of  New  York  are 
\  "^'^  certainly  not  fairly  chargeable  with  a  want  of  taste  in 

music,  or  liberality  in  rewarding  musical  talent,  not- 
withstanding the  failure  of  the  Italian  opera.     That  failure  arose 


1835-]  THE   DIARY   OF   rHILIP   HONE.  1 73 

from  causes  inherent  in  its  own  construction,  which  I  have  explained 
in  a  former  part  of  this  journal ;  but  the  citizens  of  New  York,  not 
those  alone  who  constitute  what  is  called  "good  society,"  but  re- 
spectable persons  in  the  middle  walks  of  life,  who  select  with  care- 
ful deliberation  the  kind  of  amusement  which  suits  them  best,  are 
fond  of  music,  and  patronize  it  in  preference  to  any  other  public 
or  theatrical  entertainment.  This  description  of  persons  consti- 
tuted a  large  proportion  of  the  audience  at  the  performance  of 
Mr.  Horn's  oratorio  on  Wednesday  evening,  and  it  is  said  that  the 
proceeds  amounted  to  $1,600.  In  corroboration  of  my  opin- 
ion on  this  subject,  the  engagements  of  those  beautiful  singers, 
I\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Wood,  have  been  more  profitable  than  any  former 
one  in  this  country. 

Living  in  New  York  is  exorbitantly  dear,  and  it  falls 
Dear  Living,  pretty  hard  upon  persons  like  me,  who  live  upon  their 
income,  and  harder  still  upon  that  large  and  respecta- 
ble class  consisting  of  the  officers  and  clerks  in  public  institutions, 
whose  support  is  derived  from  fixed  salaries.  I  can  raise  my  rents, 
if  the  tenants  are  able  and  willing  to  pay;  but  the  increase  of  their 
pay  depends  upon  others,  who  in  their  turn  are  precluded  from  the 
exercise  of  liberality  by  the  fact  of  their  being  the  stewards  of 
others,  who  cannot  be  consulted,  and  who  as  individuals  may  be 
liberal  enough,  but  collectively  are  very  apt  to  verify  the  adage  that 
"  corporations  have  no  souls."  Marketing  of  all  kinds,  with  the 
exception  of  apples  and  potatoes,  is  higher  than  I  ever  knew  it. 
The  sweat  of  the  brow  of  New  York  all  runs  into  the  pockets  of  the 
farmers.  I  paid  to-day  S30  a  ton  for  hay,  and  not  an  old-fash- 
ioned ton  of  2,240  lbs.,  but  a  new-fangled  ton,  invented  to  cheat 
the  consumer,  of  2,000  lbs.  This  is  a  cent  and  a  half  a  pound, 
nearly  three  times  the  ordinary  price.  I  paid  also  for  my  winter 
butter,  400  to  500  lbs.,  $2.14  per  pound.  In  the  long  course  of 
thirty-four  years'  housekeeping  I  never  buttered  my  bread  at  so 
extravagant  a  rate.  Good  butter  is  almost  an  indispensable  article 
in  the  family ;  but  there  are  many  persons  in  New  York  as  good  as 


i;4  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [-litat.  55. 

myself  who  must  be  content  to  eat  dry  bread  this  winter,  or  at  least 
to  spread  the  children's  slices  confoundedly  thin. 

December  2.  —  The    message  of  the    Governor  of 

Governor  Mc-  ° 

Duffie's  South  Carolina  to  the  Legislature  is  published  in  the 

Message.  <^  Commercial  Advertiser  "  of  to-day.  It  is  altogether 
worthy  of  the  redoubtable  champion  of  nullification,  it  "  out-Herods 
Herod ;  "  it  is  made  up  of  gunpowder  bombs,  blunderbusses,  and 
hand-grenades.  He  has  worked  himself  up  into  an  exterminating 
passion,  and  it  is  impossible  to  read  his  speech  without  shivering 
with  apprehension  and  looking  around  to  see  a  fiery  dragon  issuing 
from  the  crater  of  a  volcano ;  and  all  this  rage  is  excited  on  the 
subject  of  the  silly  abolitionists,  who,  from  mistaken  views  of  moral 
and  religious  duty,  have  been  meddling  in  things  which  did  not 
concern  them.  See  now,  infatuated  men,  what  you  have  done  ! 
Crittenden,  of  the  Eagle  Tavern,  used  to  tell  a  story  of  a  Yankee 
militia  captain,  who,  in  addressing  his  troops  to  "  screw  their  cour- 
age to  the  sticking  place,"  depicted  in  glowing  terms  the  awful 
consequences  which  would  result  from  the  success  of  the  enemy. 
"They  will,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "lay  your  towns  in  ashes,  ravish 
your  wives,  murder  your  children,  and  pull  down  your  fences."  So 
it  may  be  said  to  the  abolition  meddlers,  only  the  subject  is  almost 
too  serious  to  joke  about,  and  the  application  is  only  to  be  excused 
by  Governor  McDuffie's  rhodomontade  :  — 

"  See,  you  abolitionists,  ye  Tappans,  ye  Thompsons,  see  what  you 
have  done,  —  you  have  sown  the  seeds  of  discord  amongst  friends 
and  brethren  of  different  sections  of  our  hitherto  happy  land  ;  you 
have  sought  to  break  down  the  solemn  compact  into  which  our 
fathers  entered  on  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution ;  you  have  caused 
your  countrymen  of  the  South  to  tremble  for  their  safety  and  their 
lives,  and  —  you  have  made  Governor  McDuffie  angry." 

But  in  truth  the  temper  of  this  document  is  ridiculous,  and  its  ar- 
ginnents  absurd.  "  It  is  my  deliberate  opinion,"  says  the  Governor, 
"  that  the  laws  of  every  community  should  punish  this  species  of 
interference  by  dea//i  without  benefit  of  clergy,  regarding  the  authors 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 75 

of  it  as  enemies  of  the  human  race."  He  demands  of  the  non- 
slaveholding  States  that  they  shall  pass  laws  to  punish,  in  the  most 
exemplary  manner,  this  nondescript  and  non-enumerated  crime 
against  the  peace  and  dignity  of  South  Carolina ;  and  they  had 
better  be  pretty  quick  about  it.  Governor  Marcy,  when  he  reads 
the  following  sensible  passage,  will  be  derelict  of  duty  if  he  does 
not  anticipate  the  meeting  of  our  Legislature,  and  call  them  together 
to  pass  laws  for  the  hanging  instanter  all  the  vile  miscreants  who 
have  offended  Governor  McDuffie  :  — 

"  As  between  separate  and  independent  nations  the  refusal  of  a 
State  to  punish  these  offensive  proceedings  against  another,  by  its 
citizens  or  subjects,  makes  the  State  so  refusing  an  accomplice  in 
the  outrage,  z.vA  fiu-nishes  a.  jus/  cause  of  war."  A  pretty  pickle 
we  of  the  North  are  going  to  be  placed  in  !  Louis  Philippe  on  one 
side,  and  Governor  McDuffie  on  the  other,  ^^'e  shall  have  to 
apologize  to  both ;  the  same  formulae  will  do  for  both,  with  the 
alteration  of  "the  State  of  New  York"  for  "  the  United  States." 

The  course  of  reasoning  in  this  message  is  not  to  prove  that 
slavery  is  unavoidable,  and  cannot  be  abolished  in  the  Southern 
States.  Oh,  no  !  he  scouts  that  idea.  He  goes  the  whole  hog. 
Slavery  an  evil?  By  no  means.  It  is  a  positive  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity, sanctified  by  God  and  man  in  all  ages ;  it  promotes  religion 
and  morality,  and,  what  is  more  wonderful  still,  it  proves  incontesta- 
bly  the  existence  of  liberty  in  its  most  fascinating  shapes.  The  Gov- 
ernor does  certainly  work  himself  up  into  this  absurd  conclusion, 
and  winds  up  his  argument,  like  the  stars  which  coruscate  on  the  ex- 
plosion of  a  sky-rocket,  with  the  following  magnificent  paragraph  :  — 

"  Domestic  slavery,  therefore,  instead  of  being  a  political  evil,  is 
the  comer-stone  of  our  republican  edifice.  No  patriot  who  justly 
estimates  our  privileges  will  tolerate  the  idea  of  emancipation  at 
any  period,  however  remote,  or  on  any  conditions  of  pecuniary 
advantage,  however  favourable.  I  would  as  soon  think  of  opening 
a  negotiation  for  selling  the  liberty  of  the  State  at  once,  as  for  mak- 
ing any  stipulation   for  the  ultimate  emancipation   of  our  slaves. 


1/6  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

So  deep  is  my  conviction  on  this  subject,  that  if  I  were  doomed  to 
die  immediately  after  recording  these  sentiments,  I  could  say,  in  all 
sincerity  and  under  all  the  sanctions  of  Christianity  and  patriotism, 
'  God  forbid  that  my  descendants  in  the  remotest  generations  should 
live  in  any  other  than  a  community  having  the  institution  of  do- 
mestic slavery  as  it  existed  among  the  patriarchs  of  the  primitive 
church  and  in  all  the  free  states  of  antiquity  !  '  " 

This  Hotspur  of  the  South  having  let  off  his  steam  by  the  safety- 
valve  of  this  last  flourish,  and  recovered  his  breath,  turns  suddenly 
around  and  vents  the  residuum  of  his  vial  of  wrath  upon  poor  Jack- 
son. What  he  says  upon  the  subject,  "  though  I  most  powerfully 
and  potently  believe,"  adds  materially  to  the  ludicrous  wrath  of 
this  furious  message.  After  telling  the  Legislature  that  he  has  not 
much  to  say  on  national  affairs,  and  giving  them  the  comfortable 
assurance  that  the  corruption  of  the  government  will  soon  become 
incurable,  he  adds  :  "  The  chief  magistrate  of  our  imperial  Re- 
public is  at  this  moment  more  independent  of  public  opinion,  and 
wields  a  more  despotic  power,  than  either  the  King  of  Great  Britain 
or  the  King  of  France,  and  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  the  peo- 
ple of  the  United  States,  like  the  degenerate  Romans  in  the  time 
of  Tiberius,  will  recognize  his  right  to  nominate  his  successor,  by 
raising  to  the  throne  the  imperial,  though  not  very  youthful,  Caesar, 
who  has  been  already  clothed  in  the  purple  with  due  solemnity,  and 
formally  presented  to  the  people  as  the  anointed  and  rightful  heir 
to  the  succession." 

December  8.  —  I  have  seldom  been  so  much  shocked 

T  T  °c  -.u  by  the  sudden  announcement  of  a  death,  or  have  real- 
judge  Smith.       ■'  ' 

ized  so  fully  the  uncertainty  of  life,  as  in  the  case  of 
Judge  Smith,  —  Nathan  Smith,  Senator  of  the  United  States  from 
Connecticut.  Exactly  a  week  ago  I  met  him  at  Nevins  and  Town- 
send's  office  in  Wall  street,  was  introduced  to  and  conversed  with 
him  a  few  minutes.  I  have  always  been  struck  with  his  appearance 
when  I  saw  him  in  the  Senate,  and  was  much  pleased  to  be  made 
acquainted  with  him. 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 77 

When  I  went  home  I  described  him  to  the  family,  —  a  fine,  hand- 
some, healthy-looking  gentleman,  aged  sixty-six  years,  of  great 
personal  dignity,  and  of  the  old  school  in  his  dress ;  a  remnant  of 
that  race  of  men,  the  very  form  and  fashion  of  whose  clothes  are  a 
passport  to  deference  and  respect ;  his  white  hair  well  powdered ;  a 
handsome  blue  coat  with  shining  gilt  buttons ;  drab  kerseymere 
breeches  and  top-boots,  the  clean  white  tops  of  which  were  well 
contrasted  by  the  elaborate  black  polish  of  the  legs.  Now  that 
this  worthy  man  has  gone,  I  know  of  but  one  such  pair  of  boots  in 
American  occupancy,  and  they  are  at  present  the  admiration  of 
Europe,  on  the  well-formed  legs  of  my  learned  and  excellent  friend, 
Dr.  Mott,  of  this  city. 

I  dined  to-day  with  Mr.  Charles  March ;  a  very  pleasant  party, 
but  its  crowning  feature  was  Daniel  Webster.  I  have  never  seen 
him  so  agreeable ;  for  five  hours  he  was  the  life  of  the  company ; 
cheerful,  gay,  full  of  anecdotes,  and  entirely  free  from  a  sort  of 
gloomy  abstraction  in  which  I  have  sometimes  seen  him,  as  it  were, 
envelop  himself.  He  amused  us  with  anecdotes  of  his  early  life, 
stories  of  down- East  and  descriptions  of  down- East  men  and  man- 
ners ;  talked  wisdom  enough  to  let  us  see  that  he  was  wise,  but 
evidently  preferred  the  light  gossip  in  which  he  delights  to  pass  the 
social  hour.  On  public  affairs  Mr.  Webster  avowed  his  determina- 
tion to  support  the  government  in  its  stand  against  France.  He 
says  the  President  cannot  make  any  explanation,  and  the  honour  of 
the  country  is  concerned  in  his  being  borne  out  in  his  refusal.  I 
inferred,  however,  from  what  he  said  on  this  subject  (and  he  was 
quite  free  and  communicative),  that  he  does  not  apprehend  any  im- 
mediate difficulties  of  a  serious  nature,  and  appears  to  think  that 
the  French  will  yet  do  right. 

December  10.  —  Married  last  evening,  December  9, 

Weddings.       Peter   Augustus  Schermerhom,  second    son   of    Peter 

Schermerhorn,  to  Adeline  Emily,  youngest  daughter  of 

the  late  Henry  A.  Coster.    The  wedding  took  place  at  Dr.  Hosack's. 

We  were  all  there  ;  a  large  company  was  assembled.     The  Scher- 


1/8  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

merhorns,  the  Costers,  the  Hosacks,  and  the  Hones,  all  the  links 
of  several  long  chains,  form  a  goodly  number  when  they  are  col- 
lected together  on  such  an  occasion.  The  ceremony  was  performed 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Sherwood,  the  respectable  pastor  of  the  Episcopal 
church  at  Hyde  Park.  The  wedding  supper  was  sumptuous,  but 
no  part  of  it  so  superb  as  the  products  of  the  doctor's  greenhouse, 
which  graced  the  upper  end  of  the  table. 

Mrs.  Hosack  has  now  married  the  last  of  her  daughters,  and  I 
am  released  from  the  guardianship  of  the  last  of  my  seven  wards. 
I  have  had  the  principal  management  of  their  property  for  the  last 
fourteen  years,  and  am  now  preparing  my  accounts  for  a  settlement 
with  the  last  heir.  The  bride  is  very  young,  only  seventeen  years 
old  on  the  i8th  of  May  last. 

December  i  i  .  —  The  prevalence  of  westerly  winds  during  the 
present  cold  weather  has  deprived  us  of  news  from  Europe.  The 
packet  from  Havre  of  the  24th  of  October  has  not  arrived.  This 
delay,  though  not  unusual  at  this  time  of  the  year,  occasions  some 
anxiety  in  the  present  excited  state  of  the  public  mind  with  regard 
to  the  dispute  with  France.  It  is  understood  that  Mr.  Barton  has 
orders  to  make  a  formal  demand  of  the  indemnity,  and  in  case  of 
refusal,  to  break  off  the  negotiation  by  returning  home,  in  which 
event  Mr.  Pageot,  the  French  Charge  d' Affaires  at  Washington, 
will  hand  in  his  P.P.C.,  and  both  parties  will  draw  off  their  diplo- 
matic forces.  Mr.  Barton  is  expected  to  arrive  in  one  of  the  first 
packets.  I  have,  however,  a  more  interesting  reason  to  note  the 
non-intercourse  with  France  occasioned  by  storms  and  head-winds. 
It  is  sixty-four  days  since  my  daughters  sailed,  and  we  begin  to  be 
anxious  for  news  from  them.  The  first  change  of  wind  will  bring  it. 
December  15.  —  The  practice  of  duelling  has  in- 
Dueiiing.  creased  to  such  a  degree  in  the  South  and  West,  and  is 
marked  with  such  savage  ferocity  and  deadly  determi- 
nation, as  to  form  a  stigma  upon  the  national  character.  It  seems 
impossible  to  carry  on  a  political  election,  which  is  in  any  degree 
warmly  contested,  without  an  excitement  of  feeling  leading  to  quar- 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  179 

rels  amongst  the  most  active  partisans,  and  most  frequently  be- 
tween the  candidates  themselves,  which  nothing  but  blood  will 
settle.  Scarcely  a  day  passes  that  our  newspapers  do  not  contain 
accounts  of  some  of  those  sanguinary  semi-barbarous  conflicts, 
and  these  Southern  and  Western  men,  like  the  brant  shooters  of 
Long  Island,  do  not  like  to  waste  powder  and  ball  for  nothing. 
The  order  of  combat  is  such  as  to  preclude  the  chance  of  both  the 
combatants  escaping ;  it  is  not  children's  play ;  one  at  least,  and 
frequently  both,  seal  their  political  faith  and  write  their  title  to 
fame  in  blood  which  could  be  better  employed  in  defending  their 
native  soil  and  supporting  the  liberties  of  their  country ;  and  this 
practice  unhappily  prevails  amongst  the  finest  fellows  in  the  com- 
munity, the  choice  spirits  possessing  all  those  high  qualities  re- 
quired to  develop  the  resources  and  establish  the  institutions 
of  a  new  country.  But  the  vitiated  taste  of  the  people  seems  to 
require  that  a  man  in  that  part  of  the  country  should  fight  his  way 
up  to  public  notice,  and  his  claim  to  serve  his  fellow-citizens  is 
not  so  well  established  by  talents,  virtue,  and  patriotism,  as  by 
having  "  killed  his  man."  The  foregoing  remarks  have  been  sug- 
gested at  this  time  by  the  publication  in  the  "  National  Intelligen- 
cer" of  a  letter  from  Florida,  giving  an  account  of  a  desperate  duel, 
fought  on  the  21st  of  November,  between  Captain  Everett  White, 
brother  of  Colonel  White,  the  delegate  to  Congress  from  Florida, 
and  Colonel  A.  Bellamy,  late  president  of  the  legislative  council, 
arising  out  of  the  circumstances  of  an  election  in  which  they  were 
rival  candidates,  and  White  had  been  elected.  The  regulations 
of  this  combat  were  such  as  to  render  a  fatal  result  inevitable. 
"  The  parties  were  to  stand  sixty  feet  apart,  each  with  four  pistols, 
and  to  advance  and  fire.  Captain  White  advanced  and  received 
three  shots  without  injury,  and  then  fired  at  a  distance  of  fifteen 
paces.  His  first  shot  passed  through  Colonel  Bellamy's  arm,  the 
next  through  his  body,  and  in  the  act  of  advancing  with  the  other 
two  pistols  he  received  a  mortal  wound  from  Colonel  Bellamy's 


l80  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  DEtat.  55. 

fourth  pistol.  Colonel  Bellamy  is  not  yet  dead,  but  must  certainly 
die  of  his  wounds." 

In  this  manner  have  the  gentlemen  proved  themselves  men  of 
honour  and  courage,  and  their  fellow-citizens  sanction  the  act  which 
has  deprived  them  of  one,  at  least,  of  their  distinguished  men,  by 
their  expressions  of  sorrow,  unmingled  with  the  slightest  disappro- 
bation of  the  savage  practice  which  occasioned  the  catastrophe. 
The  letter  goes  on  to  say :  "  I  yesterday  performed  the  painful 
office  of  following  Captain  White  to  the  grave.  The  Court  ad- 
journed, and  the  funeral  was  attended  by  the  Bar  and  the  grand 
jury  in  a  body.  Every  testimony  of  respect  and  deep-felt  interest 
was  evinced  by  the  whole  population  of  the  place.  All  the  stores 
were  shut,  and  I  have  seldom  witnessed  a  more  general  and  sincere 
exhibition  of  sorrow  than  was  manifested  on  this  solemn  occasion." 
„  ,  ,         December  17.  —  How  shall  I  record  the  events  of 

Unparalleled  ' 

Calamity  by  last  night,  or  how  attempt  to  describe  the  most  awful 
^"^'  calamity  which  has  ever  visited  these  United  States? 

The  greatest  loss  by  fire  that  has  ever  been  known,  with  the  ex- 
ception perhaps  of  the  conflagration  of  Moscow,  and  that  was 
an  incidental  concomitant  of  war.  I  am  fatigued  in  body,  dis- 
turbed in  mind,  and  my  fancy  filled  with  images  of  horror  which 
my  pen  is  inadequate  to  describe.  Nearly  one-half  of  the  first 
ward  is  in  ashes,  five  hundred  to  seven  hundred  stores,  which 
with  their  contents  are  valued  at  $20,000,000  to  $40,000,000,  are 
now  lying  in  an  indistinguishable  mass  of  ruins.  There  is  not, 
perhaps,  in  the  world  the  same  space  of  ground  covered  by  so 
great  an  amount  of  real  and  personal  property  as  the  scene  of 
this  dreadful  conflagration.  The  fire  broke  out  at  nine  o'clock  last 
evening.  I  was  writing  in  the  library  when  the  alarm  was  given, 
and  went  immediately  down.  The  night  was  intensely  cold, 
which  was  one  cause  of  the  unprecedented  progress  of  the  flames, 
for  the  water  froze  in  the  hydrants,  and  the  engines  and  their  hose 
could  not  be  worked  without  great  difficulty.     The  firemen,  too, 


l83S-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PlIILIP   HONE.  l8l 

had  been  on  duty  all  last  night,  and  were  almost  incapable  of  per- 
forming their  usual  services.  The  fire  originated  in  the  store  of 
Comstock  &  Adams,  in  Merchant  street, —  a  narrow,  crooked  street, 
filled  with  high  stores  lately  erected  and  occupied  by  dry-goods 
and  hardware  merchants,  which  led  from  Hanover  to  Pearl  street. 
When  I  arrived  at  the  spot  the  scene  exceeded  all  description ;  the 
progress  of  the  flames,  like  flashes  of  lightning,  communicated  in 
every  direction,  and  a  few  minutes  sufficed  to  level  the  lofty  edi- 
fices on  every  side.  It  crossed  the  block  to  Pearl  street.  I  per- 
ceived that  the  store  of  my  son  was  in  danger,  and  made  the  best 
of  my  way,  by  Front  street  around  the  old  Slip,  to  the  spot.  We 
succeeded  in  getting  out  the  stock  of  valuable  dry  goods,  but  they 
were  put  in  the  square,  and  in  the  course  of  the  night  our  labours 
were  rendered  unavailing,  for  the  fire  reached  and  destroyed  them, 
with  a  great  part  of  all  which  were  saved  from  the  neighbouring 
stores;  this  part  of  Pearl  street  consisted  of  dry-goods  stores, 
with  stocks  of  immense  value,  of  which  little  or  nothing  was  saved. 
At  this  period  the  flames  were  unmanageable,  and  the  crowd,  in- 
cluding the  firemen,  appeared  to  look  on  with  the  apathy  of  de- 
spair, and  the  destruction  continued  until  it  reached  Coenties  Slip, 
in  that  direction,  and  Wall  street  down  to  the  river,  including  all 
South  street  and  Water  street ;  while  to  the  west.  Exchange  street, 
including  all  Post's  stores.  Lord's  beautiful  row,  William  street, 
Beaver  and  Stone  streets,  were  destroyed.  The  splendid  edifice 
erected  a  few  years  ago  by  the  liberality  of  the  merchants,  known 
as  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  and  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  city, 
took  fire  in  the  rear,  and  is  now  a  heap  of  ruins.  The  facade 
and  magnificent  marble  columns  fronting  on  ^^■all  street  are  all 
that  remain  of  this  noble  building,  and  resemble  the  ruins  of  an 
ancient  temple  rather  than  the  new  and  beautiful  resort  of  the 
merchants.  When  the  dome  of  this  edifice  fell  in,  the  sight  was 
awfully  grand  ;  in  its  fall  it  demolished  the  statue  of  Hamilton, 
executed  by  Ball  Hughes,  which  was  erected  in  the  rotunda  only 
eight  months  ago,  by  the  public  spirit  of  the  merchants. 


l82  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

It  would  be  an  idle  task  to  attempt  an  enumeration  of  the 
sufferers ;  in  the  number  are  most  of  my  nearest  friends  and  of  my 
family ;  my  son  John,  my  son-in-law  Schermerhom,  and  my  nephew 
Isaac  S.  Hone,  and  Samuel  S.  Rowland  were  all  burnt  out. 

The  buildings  covered  an  area  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  square, 
closely  built  up  with  fine  stores  of  four  and  five  stories  in  height, 
filled  with  merchandise,  all  of  which  lie  in  a  mass  of  burning,  smok- 
ing ruins,  rendering  the  streets  indistinguishable. 

All  the  property  within  the  following  limits  is  destroyed  :  south 
side  of  Wall  street  from  William  street  to  East  river,  including  the 
Merchants'  Exchange,  and  excepting  three  or  four  unfinished  build- 
ings above  Pearl  street ;  Exchange  street,  both  sides,  from  Broad 
street,  crossing  William  to  Merchant  street ;  Merchant  street,  both 
sides,  from  Wall  street  to  Hanover  square  ;  Pearl  street,  both  sides, 
from  Wall  street  to  Coenties  Slip,  with  the  whole  sweep  of  Han- 
over square.  Stone  street,  and  Beaver  street,  nearly  to  Broad  street ; 
Water  street.  Front  street,  and  South  street,  with  all  the  intersect- 
ing streets  and  lanes  from  Wall  street  to  Coenties  Slip,  including 
the  south  side  of  Coffee  House  Slip.  A  large  portion  of  the  valua- 
ble estates  of  the  Jones  and  Schermerhorn  families  was  within 
these  limits,  and  is  not  now  to  be  found.  The  fire  has  been  burning 
all  day  in  the  direction  of  Coenties  Slip,  and  was  not  fairly  gotten 
under  until  towards    evening. 

A  calculation  is  made  in  the  "  Commercial "  this  afternoon 
that  the  number  of  buildings  burned  is  5  70,  and  that  the  whole 
loss  is  something  over  $15,000,000.  The  insurance  offices 
are  all,  of  course,  bankrupt,  their  collective  capitals  amount  to 
$11,750,000;  but  those  down-town  have  a  large  proportion  of  the 
risks,  and  will  not  be  able  to  pay  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  losses.  The 
unfortunate  stockholders  lose  all.  In  this  way  I  suffer  directly, 
and  in  others  indirectly,  to  a  large  amount. 

The  Mayor,  who  has  exerted  himself  greatly  in  this  fearful  emer- 
gency, called  the  Common  Council  together  this  afternoon  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  private  patrols  for  the  protection  of  the 


iS35.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  1 83 

city ;  for  if  another  fire  should  break  out  before  the  firemen  have 
recovered  from  the  fatigues  of  the  last  two  nights,  and  the  engines 
and  hose  be  repaired  from  the  effects  of  the  frost,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  arrest  its  progress.  Several  companies  of  uniformed 
militia  and  a  company  of  United  States  marines  are  under  arms,  to 
protect  the  property  scattered  over  the  lower  part  of  the  city. 

I  have  been  alarmed  by  some  of  the  signs  of  the  times  which 
this  calamity  has  brought  forth ;  the  miserable  wretches  who 
prowled  about  the  ruins  and  became  beastly  drunk  on  the  cham- 
pagne and  other  wines  and  liquors  with  which  the  streets  and 
wharv^es  were  lined,  seemed  to  exult  in  the  misfortune,  and  such 
expressions  were  heard  as,  "  Ah  !  they'll  make  no  more  five  per 
cent,  dividends,"  and  "This  will  make  the  aristocracy  haul  in  their 
horns."  Poor,  deluded  wretches  !  —  little  do  they  know  that  their 
own  horns  "  live,  and  move,  and  have  their  being  "  in  these  very 
horns  of  the  aristocracy,  as  their  instigators  teach  them  to  call  it. 
This  cant  is  the  very  text  from  which  their  leaders  teach  their  de- 
luded followers.  It  forms  part  of  the  warfare  of  the  poor  against 
the  rich,  —  a  warfare  which  is  destined,  I  fear,  to  break  the  hearts 
of  some  of  the  politicians  of  Tammany  Hall,  who  have  used  these 
men  to  answer  a  temporary  purpose,  and  find  now  that  the  dogs 
chey  have  taught  to  bark  will  bite  them  as  soon  as  their  political 
opponents. 

These  remarks  are  not  so  much  the  result  of  what  I  have  heard 
of  the  conduct  and  conversations  of  the  rabble  at  the  fire  as  of 
what  I  witnessed  this  afternoon  at  the  Bank  for  Savings.  There 
was  an  immediate  run  upon  the  bank  by  a  gang  of  low  Irishmen, 
who  demanded  their  money  in  a  peremptory  and  threatening  man- 
ner. At  this  season  there  is  usually  a  great  preponderance  of 
deposits  over  the  drafts,  the  first  of  January  being  the  day  on 
which  the  balances  are  made  up  of  the  semi-annual  dividend. 
All  the  sums  now  drawn  lose  nearly  six  months'  interest,  which  the 
bank  gains ;  these  Irishmen,  however,  insisted  upon  having  their 
money,  and  when  they  received    it  were   evidently  dL^appointed 


I  84  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

and  would  fain  have  put  it  back  again.  Tliis  class  of  men  are  the 
most  ignorant,  and  consequently  the  most  obstinate,  white  men  in 
the  world,  and  I  have  seen  enough  to  satisfy  me  that,  with  few 
exceptions,  ignorance  and  vice  go  together.  These  men,  rejoicing 
in  the  calamity  which  has  ruined  so  many  institutions  and  individ- 
uals, thought  it  a  fine  opportunity  to  use  the  power  v/hich  their 
dirty  money  gave  them  to  add  to  the  general  distress,  and  sought  to 
embarrass  this  excellent  institution,  which  had  been  established  for 
the  sole  benefit  of  the  poor ;  but  they  have  not  the  sense  to  under- 
stand, nor  hearts  to  respond  to>  the  benevolent  feelings  which 
prompt  the  managers  of  the  savings-banks  to  devote  their  whole 
time  and  labour  for  the  benefit  of  others.  Now  comes  the  most 
painful  of  all  the  reflections  which  arise  out  of  this  unnatural  state 
of  society.  These  Irishmen,  strangers  among  us,  without  a  feeling 
of  patriotism  or  affection  in  common  with  American  citizens,  decide 
the  elections  in  the  city  of  New  York.  They  make  presidents  and 
governors,  and  they  send  men  to  represent  us  in  the  councils  of 
the  nation,  and,  what  is  worse  than  all,  their  importance  in  these 
matters  is  derived  from  the  use  which  is  made  of  them  by  political 
demagogues,  who  despise  the  tools  they  work  with.  Let  them 
look  to  it ;  the  time  may  not  be  very  distant  when  the  same  brogue 
which  they  have  instructed  to  shout  "  Hurrah  for  Jackson  !  "  shall 
be  used  to  impart  additional  horror  to  the  cry  of  "  Down  with 
the  natives  ! " 

December  18.  —  I  went  out  this  morning  with  my 
Dr.  Hosack.  y^ife  to  vicw  the  sccnc  of  the  recent  conflagration  ;  but 
we  had  proceeded  only  a  short  distance  when  we  met 
Robert  Benson,  who  informed  us  that  Dr.  Hosack,  the  elder,  had 
been  seized  a  few  moments  previous  with  a  fit  of  apoplexy.  We  of 
course  returned,  and  I  went  immediately  around  to  his  house ;  and 
what  a  scene  was  there  !  What  an  awful  instance  of  the  uncer- 
tainty of  life  and  the  instability  of  human  happiness  !  Here  was 
the  doctor  laid  upon  a  sofa,  insensible  to  all  around  him,  his  limbs 
paralyzed,    his   faculties  suspended,  and  his  large  and    estimable 


1S35.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  1 85 

family  surrounding  his  couch,  with  despair  and  anguish  depicted  in 
every  countenance.  Two  days  before,  the  very  room  in  which  he 
lies  was  the  scene  of  festivity.  The  bride  (Mrs.  Schermerhom)  was 
receiving  the  visits  of  her  friends,  and  I  was  there,  a  joyful  witness 
of  the  happiness  of  both  families.  Since  that  time,  in  a  space  of 
less  than  forty-eight  hours,  Mrs.  Berryman,  the  daughter  of  Mr. 
John  G.  Coster,  has  died  suddenly.  The  calamity  under  which  the 
city  now  suffers  so  severely  has  fallen  heavily  upon  every  branch 
of  the  connection.  The  splendid  estate  of  the  bride,  which  I  was 
about  to  transfer  to  her  husband,  has  been  most  seriously 
encroached  upon  by  the  same  cause ;  and  the  highly  respected 
head  of  her  family,  from  being  in  the  full  possession  of  his  bodily 
and  mental  faculties,  lies  extended  on  his  bed  of  death,  pros- 
trated in  an  instant,  in  a  situation  which  seems  to  preclude  all 
hopes  of  recovery. 

Further  DECEMBER  1 9.  —  I  wcnt  ycstcrday  and  to-day  to  see 

Particulars  thc  uiins.  It  is  an  awful  sight.  The  whole  area  from 
of  the  Fire.  ^y^^jj  g^.^.^^^  ^^  Cocntics  Slip,  boundcd  by  Broad  street 
to  the  river,  with  the  exception  of  Broad  street,  the  Wall-street 
front  between  William  and  Broad,  and  the  blocks  bounded  by 
Broad  street.  Pearl  street,  the  south  side  of  Coenties  Slip  and  South 
street,  are  now  a  mass  of  smoking  ruins. 

It  is  gratifying  to  witness  the  spirit  and  firmness  ■with  which  the 
merchants  meet  this  calamity.  There  is  no  despondency ;  every 
man  is  determined  to  go  to  work  to  redeem  his  loss,  and  all  are 
ready  to  assist  their  more  unfortunate  neighbours.  A  meeting  of 
citizens  was  held  this  day,  at  noon,  at  the  Session  Court-room,  on 
the  call  of  the  Mayor.  A  committee  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  was  appointed,  which  met  in  the  evening  at  the  Mayor's  office 
and  appointed  sub-committees  on  each  branch  of  duty  submitted 
to  them.  I  am  of  the  committee  to  make  application  for  relief  to 
the  State  government.  That  committee  is  to  meet  to-morrow 
evening  at  my  house.  The  utmost  spirit  and  harmony  prevailed  at 
the  meeting,  which  embraced  all  the  best  and  most  inllucntial  men 


l86  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [-Etat.  55. 

in  the  city.  During  the  evening  intelHgence  was  brought  in  of  the 
proceedings  of  a  great  meeting  held  yesterday  in  Philadelphia,  at 
which  the  Mayor  presided.  Amongst  other  things  a  resolution  was 
passed  calling  upon  the  general  government  to  appropriate  the  sum 
of  $12,000,000  to  our  relief.  This  is  an  important  step,  for  it  will 
tend  to  remove  the  only  objection  to  such  a  measure,  —  that  of  its 
being  exclusive  and  partial  in  its  operation.  A  body  of  four  hun- 
dred Philadelphia  firemen  came  on  yesterday  to  relieve  our  firemen. 
They  are  to  be  seen  about  the  streets  and  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  fire,  in  their  peculiar  uniform.  This  is  truly  a  brotherly  kind- 
ness and  charity,  and  will  never  be  forgotten. 

Companies  of  soldiers  are  on  guard  all  the  time,  and  patrols  of 
citizens  are  formed  in  each  ward,  who  are  on  duty  during  the 
night ;  the  exhausted  state  of  the  firemen  and  the  disabled  con- 
dition of  their  apparatus  render  these  extraordinary  measures 
necessary.  A  fire  would  be  awful  at  this  moment.  The  in- 
surance offices  are  all  bankrupt,  and  every  man  is  his  own  under- 
writer. 

The  Merchants'  Exchange  is  held  at  the  Mechanics'  Exchange 
in  Broad  street ;  the  post-office  removed  to  the  rotunda  in  Cham- 
bers street.  The  printing-offices,  of  which  a  large  number  are 
burned  out,  are  distributed  into  different  places,  and  it  is  amusing 
to  see  the  holes  and  corners  into  which  the  merchants  have  stowed 
themselves. 

Mr.  Biddle,  President  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  came  on 
to-day  to  see  what  that  institution  could  do  for  us.  The  first  step 
must  be  to  turn  the  bonds  and  mortgages  held  by  the  insurance 
companies  into  cash,  to  enable  them  to  pay  as  much  as  they  can  of 
their  losses.  But  the  unfortunate  stockholders,  what  is  to  become 
of  them? 

The  following  are  the  sub-committees  appointed  at  the  meeting 
of  the  general  committee  this  evening:  i.  Committee  to  ascertain 
the  extent  and  probable  value  of  property  destroyed,  and  how  far 
the  sufferers  are  protected  by  insurance  :  Nathaniel  Weed,  Gabriel 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HOXE.  1 8/ 

P.  Dissosway,  Brittain   L.  Woolley,  George  S.  Robbins,  Walter  R. 
Jones,  Isaac  S.  Hone. 

2.  Committee  on  application  to  Congress  for  an  extension  of 
credit  on  duty  bonds,  and  remission  of  duties,  and  on  such  other 
aid  as  it  may  be  expedient  to  ask  of  the  general  government : 
Albert  Gallatin,  Preser\'ed  Fish,  George  Griswold,  John  T.  Irving, 
Louis  McLane,  James  G.  King,  Reuben  Withers,  Cornelius  W. 
Lawrence,  Samuel  Jones. 

3.  Committee  on  application  to  the  State  and  city  government : 
Enos  T.  Throop,  John  L.  Graham,  John  A.  Stevens,  Charles  H. 
Russell,  Thomas  J.  Oakley,  Philip  Hone,  Daniel  Jackson,  Benjamin 
L.  Swan. 

4.  Committee  on  the  origin  and  cause  of  the  fire  :  James  B. 
Murray,  George  Douglass,  James  Lee,  David  Bryson,  Marcus  Wilbur. 

5.  Committee  on  change  in  the  regulation  of  the  streets  :  Samuel 
B.  Ruggles,  Jonathan  Goodhue,  David  S.  Jones,  John  Haggerty, 
John  S.  Crary. 

6.  Committee  on  the  erection  of  buildings  and  the  arrangement 
of  the  fire  department :  Stephen  Allen,  Peter  G.  Stuyvesant,  John 
Leonard,  Benjamin  Strong,  Charles  A.  Davis,  George  D.  Strong, 
Prosper  M.  Wetraore,  Seth  Geer,  George  Ireland,  James  J.  Roose- 
velt, Jr.,  Dudley  Selden,  and  Stephen  Whitney. 

7.  Committee  on  reUef,  with  power  to  receive  and  distribute 
contributions  :  Samuel  Cowdry,  Jacob  Lorillard,  Samuel  S.  Howland, 
Benjamin  McVickar,  M.D.,  John  J.  Boyd,  William  T.  McCoun, 
Ogden  Hoffman,  William  L.  Stone,  Jacob  Harvey,  Thaddeus  Phelps, 
John  W.  Leavitt,  James  Boorman,  Edward  Prime. 

December  21. — The  sub-committee  on  the  subjects  of  applica- 
tions to  the  State  and  city  governments  met  last  evening  at  my 
house  and  agreed  to  a  report  recommending  an  application  to  the 
Legislature  to  issue  a  State  stock,  under  the  guarantee  of  the  cor- 
poration, of  six  millions  of  dollars,  and  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee of  five  to  go  to  Albany  and  confer  with  the  Governor  on  the 
facts  to  be  laid  before  the  Legislature.     The  general  committee  met 


l88  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.55. 

this  evening ;  our  report  was  accepted,  but  the  resokitions  amended 
so  as  to  call  upon  the  corporation  to  issue  their  bonds  for  $6,000,000, 
to  create  a  fund  for  the  purpose  of  buying  up  the  bonds  and  mort- 
gages held  by  the  insolvent  fire  insurance  companies,  and  thereby 
enable  them  to  pay  their  losses  as  far  as  they  may  be  able. 

December  22.  —  The  weather  since  the  fire  has  become  more 
mild.  This  day  is  very  pleasant.  This  is  a  happy  circumstance, 
for  it  facilitates  the  labors  of  an  immense  number  of  workmen  who 
are  employed  in  removing  the  rubbish.  Goods  and  property  of 
every  description  are  found  under  the  ruins  in  enormous  quantities, 
but  generally  so  much  damaged  as  to  be  hardly  worth  saving. 
Cloths,  silks,  laces,  prints  of  the  most  valuable  kinds,  are  dug  out 
partly  burned,  and  nearly  all  ruined.  A  mountain  of  coffee  lies  at 
the  corner  of  old  Slip  and  South  street.  The  entire  cargo  of  teas, 
arrived  a  few  days  since  in  the  ship  "  Paris,"  lies  in  a  state  hot 
worth  picking  up,  and  costly  indigo  and  rich  drugs  add  to  the  mass 
of  mud  which  obstructs  the  streets. 

Crowds  of  spectators  (amongst  whom  are  many  ladies)  have 
been  perambulating  the  streets  in  the  neighbourhood,  lost  in  wonder 
and  absorbed  in  horror  at  the  awful  scene  of  destruction.  Many 
curious  facts  are  now  coming  to  light  in  relation  to  the  fire.  A 
note  of  hand  of  fifty-seven  dollars,  in  favour  of  the  Ocean  Insur- 
ance Company,  was  blown,  during  the  fire,  from  a  store  in  South 
street  to  a  garden  at  Flatbush,  Long  Island,  five  miles  distant.  A 
gallant  effort  was  made  to  save  the  statue  of  Hamilton  by  a  young 
officer  from  the  Navy- Yard,  with  a  party  of  four  or  -five  sailors. 
They  had  actually  succeeded  in  removing  it  from  the  pedestal, 
when  the  danger  of  the  approaching  fall  of  the  dome  compelled 
them  to  abandon  it.  The  fire  was  seen  at  New  Haven  and  at 
Philadelphia ;  the  firemen  turned  out,  supposing  the  fire  was  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city. 

December  23.  —  Hopes  have  been  entertained  that 
Death  of  -Qj.^  Hosack  might  survive   his  attack.     There  was  an 

Dr.  llosack.  •       ° 

appearance  of  consciousness  and  a  slight  improvement 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  1 89 

in  his  symptoms  during  the  whole  of  yesterday ;  but  it  would  have 
been  better  otherwise,  for  it  excited  false  hopes  in  his  anxious 
family,  which  were  doomed  to  be  destroyed,  for  at  eleven  o'clock 
last  night  he  died.  He  has  never  spoken  since  his  attack,  and  it 
is  quite  doubtful  if  he  has  at  any  time  recognized  those  about  him. 
Thus  has  the  house  of  joy  been  suddenly  turned  into  the  house  of 
mourning. 

Dr.  Hosack  was  born  on  the  31st  of  August,  1769.  He  has 
passed  an  active  and  useful  life,  and  filled  a  large  space  in  society. 
In  his  profession  he  was  learned,  skilful,  and  bold,  and,  in  my 
opinion,  the  best  physician  in  the  city.  I  remember  him  from  my 
earliest  years ;  the  physician  of  my  father's  family,  and  he  has 
always  been  mine.  His  literary  acquirements  were  of  a  high  order, 
and  although  not  a  man  of  great  genius,  his  industry  and  acquire- 
ments had  rendered  him  a  good  writer.  His  style  was  correct  and 
strong,  without  elegance,  and  his  great  experience  will  render  his 
works  respectable  authorities  to  professional  men.  He  retired  a 
few  years  ago  from  general  practice,  and  resided  two-thirds  of  the 
year  on  his  splendid  estate  at  Hyde  Park.  His  wife,  the  widow  of 
Henry  A.  Coster,  is  my  first  cousin,  by  whom  he  became  possessed  of 
a  large  estate.  She  had  seven  children,  of  whom  I  was  appointed 
guardian  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Coster. 

Christmas  Day,  but  not  by  any  means  "  a  merry  Christmas." 
The  recent  calamity  bears  so  hard  upon  the  whole  community 
that  it  seems  unfeeling  to  be  joyful.  Philosophy  enables  many  of 
us  to  bear  our  own  misfortunes  without  repining,  -and  hope  spreads 
its  buoyant  wings  over  the  future  ;  but  as  all  are  not  equally  con- 
soled by  the  former,  or  encouraged  by  the  latter,  respect  for 
individual  loss  restrains  all  the  appearance  of  mirth  which  belongs 
to  this  otherwise  happy  season. 

I  attended,  as  a  relation,  the  funeral  of  Dr.  Hosack, 
Dr.  Hosack's    ^^  ^j^^  o'clock.     The  scrvicc  was  read  in  Grace  Church 

Funeral.  ,  t-.  1 

by  the  Bishop  and  Dr.  Ducachet.     It  was  very  impres- 
sive ;  the  large  family  connection  and  the  great  number  of  friends 


190  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.55. 

which  attended  filled  the  church.  The  pall-bearers  were,  Colonel 
Trumbull,  Mr.  John  Watts,  Herman  LeRoy,  Edward  W.  Laight, 
Edward  Livingston,  Charles  McEvers,  Chancellor  Kent,  and  Gen. 
Morgan  Lewis. 


1836.]  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  191 


1836. 

A  LBANY,  Jan.  i.  —  It  makes  me  somewhat  melancholy  to  re- 
-^  ^  fleet  that  this  is  the  first  New  Year's  Day,  except  one,  that  I 
ever  passed  from  home,  and  that  one  was  passed  at  sea,  on  my 
return  from  Europe,  I  am  here  against  my  will.  I  would  much 
rather  have  spent  this  day  with  my  family  and  in  the  society  of  my 
friends ;  but,  alas  !  it  is  not  a  happy  day  in  New  York. 

The  year  1835  is  passed;  it  began  well ;  the  city  prospered,  and 
all  went  on  swimmingly  until  its  close.  But  now  many  aching 
hearts  are  in  our  borders.  What  blighted  prospects,  what  disap- 
pointed hopes  !  The  calamity  of  the  night  of  the  i6th  has  re- 
duced thousands  from  comparative  independence  to  cheerless 
poverty.  Not  the  poorest  class,  for  if  they  were  burned  out,  and 
exposed  to  the  inclemency  of  the  biting  blasts  of  winter,  a  good 
fire,  a  warm  bed,  and  plenty  to  eat  and  drink,  as  a  temporary  relief, 
would  make  them  as  well  off  as  they  were  before  :  "  take  nothing 
from  nothing  and  nothing  remains  ;  "  but  this  loss  falls  upon  those 
who  were  accustomed  to  enjoy  the  comforts  and  little  elegances 
of  life,  which  must  now  be  given  up. 

January  4.  —  I  went  yesterday  morning  with  Mr.  Stevenson  to 
St.  Peter's  Church,  and  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  sermon  from 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Potter  that  I  was  induced  to  go  again  in  the  after- 
noon, although  the  hour,  two  o'clock,  affords  but  a  brief  allowance 
of  time  for  dinner.  The  church  has  been  repaired  and  new 
modelled ;  has  a  new  organ  and  pulpit,  and  the  handsomest,  most 
comfortable,  and  best-arranged  pews  I  have  seen  in  any  of  our 
churches.  There  is  a  large  and  respectable  congregation,  and  if 
their  pastor  is  in  the  practice  of  giving  them  such  sermons  as  I 
heard  yesterday,  they  have  no  reason  to  be  dissatisfied. 

January   4. — Whilst  I  was    writing  in  my  room  this  evening 


192  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  56. 

there  was  an  alarm  of  fire.  Two  or  three  wooden  houses  were 
burned  in  the  upper  part  of  Market  street.  It  was  quite  a  re- 
freshing sight,  for  it  reminded  me  of  home.  It  was  a  mark  of  civ- 
iHzation  in  a  strange  country,  as  the  traveller  said,  who  saw  a  man 
hanging  on  a  gibbet. 

The  bills  authorizing  the  city  loan  of  six  millions, 
Relief  Bills,     and  for  enabling  the  fire-insurance  companies  to  settle 
-     their  concerns  and  to  resuscitate  their  businesses,  have 
passed  the  Legislature  with  great  unanimity. 

New  York,  Jan.  16.  —  I  went,  this  morning,  to  dine  with  Mr. 
John  C.  Stevens  at  his  place  on  Long  Island,  about  eleven  miles 
from  Brooklyn,  and  three  miles  from  the  race-course  on  the  South 
road.  Charles  King,  General  Fleming,  and  Cornelius  Low  went 
with  me  in  my  sleigh.  We  arrived  at  Stevens's  about  three 
o'clock ;  had  a  most  capital  dinner,  fine  wine,  good  fires,  and 
plenty  of  laugh,  joke,  and  joviality.  We  found,  on  our  arrival, 
John  A.  King,  Commodore  Ridgely,  Mr.  Botts,  and  Robert  L. 
Stevens. 

At  half-past  eight  we  started  to  return.  It  was  very  dark  and 
had  become  excessively  cold,  and  the  road,  being  but  little  used, 
was  hard  to  be  distinguished.  John  soon  planted  us  in  a  snow- 
bank, from  which  we  extricated  the  sleigh  and  horses  with  some 
difficulty.  King  then  undertook  to  drive,  and  had  not  proceeded 
above  a  mile  when  the  darkness  of  the  night,  the  narrowness  and 
indistinctness  of  the  road,  and  John  Stevens's  good  wine  combined 
to  bother  the  skill  of  our  new  driver,  and  over  went  the  sleigh.  I 
was  slightly  scratched  in  the  face  and  bled  a  little,  but  the  rest  of 
the  party  were  uninjured.  The  sleigh  was  broken  a  little.  We 
now  held  council  of  war,  and  concluded  to  return  to  the  "  place 
whence  we  came."  This  was  accomplished  without  difficulty;  our 
friends  were  still  assembled,  and  a  few  hickory  logs  added  to  the 
fire,  a  renewal  of  the  bottles  and  glasses,  a  reproduction  of  the  re- 
mains of  the  dinner  to  serve  as  supper,  and  a  cigar  afterward, 
brought  us  to  the  sensible  conclusion  that  it  was  better  to  be  there 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 93 

than  in  a  snow-bank.  After  a  few  hours  passed  in  pleasant  con- 
versation John  A.  King  went  home  to  Jamaica,  taking  with  him 
General  Fleming,  Mr.  Low,  and  Mr.  Botts ;  Charles  King,  Com- 
modore Ridgely,  and  I  were  well  accommodated  with  good  beds  in 
the  house  of  our  hospitable  host. 

We  had  breakfast  this  morning  at  eight  o'clock,  and  started  for 
home.  A  fine,  bright  morning,  but  very  cold.  Charles  King  was 
sick  ;  the  Commodore  had  an  unwelcome  visit  from  an  old  acquaint- 
ance,—  the  gout,  —  which  prevented  him  from  putting  on  his  boot, 
and  I,  who  was  the  only  sick  man  who  went  upon  this  pleasant  frolic, 
returned  the  only  well  one.  We  left  the  Commodore  at  the  Navy- 
Yard  and  arrived  in  town  at  eleven  o'clock. 

The  following  party  dined  with  us  :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boreel,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Brugiere,  Miss  Helen  Kane,  Captain  Anthony, 
of  the  "  Poland,"  Mr.  Nicolson,  Henry  Hone,  and  Edward  Scher- 
merhorn. 

J..^NU.\RY  20.  —  I  went  over  to  dine  with  Mr.  John  A.  King,  at 
Jamaica.  Charles  and  James  A.  King  and  General  Fleming  went 
with  me,  in  my  sleigh.  Besides  ourselves,  the  party  consisted  of 
Robert  Ray,  Jacob  LeRoy,  Robert  L.  and  John  C.  Stevens,  and  Mr. 
Nicholas.  The  weather  was  very  fine  and  the  sleighing  admirable. 
On  our  return  we  came  to  Brooklyn  ferry  at  ten  o'clock,  but  found 
two  steamboats  there,  blocked  in  by  the  ice,  which  detained  us 
nearly  three  hours,  and  I  did  not  get  home  until  one  o'clock. 

There  is  an  ill-looking,  squinting  man  called  Bennett, 
'^^'^  formerly  connected  with  Webb  in  the  publication  of 

"Herald."  ''  '■ 

his  paper,  who  is  now  editor  of  the  "  Herald,"  one  of 
the  penny  papers  which  are  hawked  about  the  streets  by  a  gang 
of  troublesome,  ragged  boys,  and  in  which  scandal  is  retailed  'to  all 
who  delight  in  it,  at  that  moderate  price.  This  man  and  Webb  are 
now  bitter  enemies,  and  it  was  nuts  for  Bennett  to  be  the  organ  of 
Mr.  Lynch's  late  vituperative  attack  upon  Webb,  which  Bennett 
introduced  in  his  paper  with  evident  marks  of  savage  exultation. 
This  did  not  suit  Mr.  Webb's  fiery  disposition,   so   he  attacked 


194  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

Bennett  in  Wall  street  yesterday,  beat  him,  and  knocked  him  down. 
In  the  mean  time  Webb  and  Lynch  maintain  a  relative  position 
something  like  that  of  France  and  the  United  States  :  they  carry  clubs, 
but  do  not  strike ;  and  look  fierce  at  each  other,  but  do  not  speak. 
They  cannot  adjust  their  pecuniary  differences  in  an  honourable 
manner,  for  each  considers  the  other  unworthy  of  his  notice. 
None  but  men  of  acknowledged  honour  and  good  character  are 
entitled  to  the  privilege  of  having  their  brains  blown  out.  If 
Lynch  and  Webb  are  both  men  of  truth  they  are  liars,  and  if 
neither  is  to  be  believed  they  are  both  honourable  men. 

The  Opera  House  was  offered  this  morning  for  sale 
Opera  House.  ^^  auction,  uudcr  the  direction  of  Gardiner  G.  Rowland 
and  Robert  Ray,  trustees.  It  was  set  up  at  $100,000  ; 
but  there  was  no  bid,  and  the  sale  was  postponed.  The  articles 
of  association  designated  the  Merchants'  Exchange  as  the  place  of 
sale,  if  ever  it  should  be  found  necessary  to  dispose  of  the  prop- 
erty. As  there  is  unfortunately  no  such  edifice  at  present,  it  was 
deemed  necessary  to  have  the  sale  on  the  porch,  which  is  all  that 
remains  of  that  edifice.  It  was  a  melancholy  illustration  of  the 
decay  of  commerce  and  taste  to  witness  the  auctioneer,  mounted 
on  the  ruins  of  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  endeavouring  to  sell  the 
Italian  Opera-House  to  the  highest  bidder. 

January  21.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Henry  Gary.  We  had  Irving, 
Paulding,  Brevoort,  Gouverneur  Kemble,  Doctor  Stevens,  Pro- 
fessor Renwick,  and  such  literary  and  learned  men ;  and,  as  is 
always  the  case,  it  was  excessively  stupid.  There  were  more 
brilliant  things  said  at  John  Stevens's  the  other  day,  when  it  was  a 
party  of  no  pretension,  than  could  be  elicited  from  these  learned 
pundits  in  the  course  of  a  long  life,  and  one  of  any  of  the  thousand 
hearty  laughs  which  we  had  on  that  occasion  was  worth  all  the 
wisdom  of  such  a  reunion.  Washington  Irving  was  the  only  man 
who  ventured  to  say  a  good  thing. 

January  26.  —  The  "Poland,"  Captain  Anthony,  sails  to-day  for 
Havre.     In  her  go  Monsieur  Pageot,  his  lady,  and  their  little  son 


1836.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  195 

Andrew  Jackson,  Mr.  Saligny,  attache,  and  all  the  odds  and  ends 
of  the  French  Mission.  We  are  no  longer  on  speaking  terms  with 
our  dear  friend  and  sister,  France,  and  like  two  rival  dames,  who 
are  desperately  affronted  without  exactly  knowing  the  cause,  we 
stand  pouting,  turning  up  our  noses,  and  tossing  our  disdainful 
heads  at  each  other.  The  Lord  knows  who  is  to  speak  first  now, 
and  woe  betide  the  one  who  first  treads  on  the  other's  corns. 
What  a  ridiculous  and  unnatural  position  ! 

Madame  Pageot  is  an  American  lady,  daughter  of  Major  Lewis, 
who  is  in  one  of  our  public  departments  in  Washington.  Her 
father  being  one  of  the  kitchen  Cabinet  and  a  glorifier  of  "  the 
greatest  and  best,"  and  everything  being  sweet  as  sugar-candy 
between  the  two  countries  at  the  birth  of  her  boy,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  fill  the  measure  of  his  infantile  glory  by  giving  him  the 
august  name  of  "Andrew  Jackson."  This  was  honour  enough  as 
long  as  the  parents  continued  in  this  country,  and  affairs  went  on 
smoothly ;  but  now,  when  the  mighty  brow  of  the  warrior  states- 
man is  kindled  with  rage  against  our  Gallic  neighbours,  and  the 
presence  of  France  in  the  person  of  her  representative's  repre- 
sentative is  about  to  be  removed  from  amongst  us,  the  name  of 
this  young  American  Frenchman  may  not  sound  so  pleasantly  in 
the  ears  of  his  father's  compatriots  as  in  the  land  of  his  birth,  and 
Andrew  Jackson  Pageot  will  not  be  the  best  possible  name  by  which 
to  be  ushered  into  the  regal  halls  of  Louis  Philippe  d'Orl^ans. 

Jaxuary  27.  —  Reports  have    prevailed  for  the  last 
"  '^"  two  or  three  days  of  the  massacre  of  two  companies 

Massacre.  ■'  ^ 

of  United  States  troops  in  Florida,  by  the  Seminole 
Indians!  It  was  hoped  that  they  might  not  be  true,  but  the  ac- 
count is  confirmed  to-day  by  intelligence  from  Mobile.  Major 
Dade  had  started  with  two  companies  from  Tampa  Bay,  for  Camp 
King,  to  join  General  Church,  when  on  the  morning  of  28th  of  De- 
cember, at  eight  o'clock,  they  were  surrounded  by  a  large  body  of 
Indians,  supposed  to  number  from  eight  hundred  to  one  thousand 
men,  and  were  cut  to  pieces ;  only  three  men  escaped,  and  they 


196  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.56. 

returned,  badly  wounded,  to  the  station  at  Tampa  Bay,  to  give  the 
lamentable  history  of  the  fate  of  their  comrades. 

It  is  also  reported  that  General  Scott  is  to  be  sent  immediately 
to  take  command  of  the  forces  in  Florida ;  the  result  of  all  this  will 
be  that,  after  some  hard  service  and  destruction  of  the  lives  and 
property  of  the  whites,  the  Indians  will  be  exterminated,  and  the 
government  saved  the  expense  of  transporting  them  out  of  our  ter- 
ritories and  providing  for  their  maintenance.  Humanity  may  de- 
plore the  fate  of  the  red  men,  and  philanthropists  talk  as  they  will 
about  equal  rights  and  the  oppression  of  power,  but  it  is  inevitable  ; 
the  Indians  cannot  live  amongst,  or  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood 
of,  the  whites,  and  this  very  battle  in  which  temporary  success  has 
been  won  by  their  savage  arms  will  be  the  ultimate  cause  of  their 
destruction ;  the  blood  of  the  gallant  men  who  have  fallen  in  this 
sanguinary  encounter  will  not  sink  unrevenged  into  the  sands  of 
Florida,  and  the  speculators  in  Florida  lands  will  be  consoled  for 
this  national  disaster  by  the  confirmation  of  their  titles  in  the  final 
removal  of  the  ©riginal  owners  of  their  lands. 

February  i.  —  The   war   of  etiquette    between  the 
Peace.  United  States  and  France  is  in  a  fair  way  now  of  being 

averted,  and  the  trusty  sword  of  "  the  hero  of  two  wars," 
there  is  good  reason  to  hope,  will  be  permitted  reluctantly  to 
remain  in  its  scabbard.  John  Bull,  like  a  good,  honest  fellow,  who 
never  likes  any  fighting  to  go  on  and  he  not  have  a  hand  in  it,  has 
interposed  his  good  offices  and  proffered  his  mediation  to  settle  the 
silly  dispute.  He  says  there  is  nothing  to  quarrel  about,  and  he 
does  not  want  his  commerce,  flourishing  as  it  is  at  present,  to  be 
knocked  about  by  new  belligerents,  nor  does  he  wish  to  have  the 
trouble  and  expense  attending  the  preservation  of  an  armed  neu- 
trality between  the  two  most  important  maritime  powers.  So  the 
King  of  England,  the  sailor  king,  writes  a  loving  letter  to  his 
brother,  the  soldier  king  (we  call  him  President),  begging  him  to 
think  a  little  better  of  the  affair ;  and  I  suppose  that  noble  old  cock. 
Sir  Charles  Vaughan,  has  added  a  postscript,  telling   his  Yankee 


1S36.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  197 

friends  (of  whom  he  has  great  store)  that  they  must  not  make 
damned  fools  of  themselves.  (I  use  this  expression,  not  that  I  think 
it  looks  as  pretty  on  the  page  of  a  book  as  a  rose  does  in  a  flower- 
garden,  but  to  preserve  the  verisimilitude ;  for  I  should  hardly  rec- 
ognize my  excellent  friend,  Sir  Charles,  even  when  drawn  by  myself, 
if  he  was  not  ushered  in  by  one  of  those  harmless,  but  very  charac- 
teristic, expletives.)  So  the  king  and  Sir  Charles  send  over  a 
king's  ship  in  midwinter,  "  The  Pantaloons  "  (in  former  times  she 
ought  to  have  gone  to  the  other  side  first,  the  French  being  then 
sans-culottes  ;  her  very  name  would  have  made  them  feel  comforta- 
ble), and  she  brings  a  messenger,  who  confers  with  my  good  friend 
Bankhead.  He  delivers  the  pacific  missives.  The  "  greatest  and 
best,"  albeit  full  of  fight,  his  "ever-pointed"  hair  bristling  defiance 
against  Louis  Philippe  and  all  that  belongs  to  him,  cannot  find  it  in 
his  heart  to  disgrace  such  friendly  wooing,  or  in  his  conscience  to 
send  the  messenger  "  back  as  he  came  ;  "  so  he  becomes  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life  amenable  to  reason,  sends  back  a  favourable  answer, 
without  consulting  anybody.  (Why  should  he  ?  How  can  consulta- 
tion and  advisement  enlighten  the  focus  of  America's  glory?)  The 
vessel  returns  forthwith,  the  business  will  be  settled,  France  will 
pay  the  twenty- five  millions  of  francs  and  America  pocket  it, 
without  any  wear  and  tear  of  national  honour  and  dignity  on  either 
side,  and  England  will  have  the  credit  of  acting  like  a  kind  friend 
and  good  neighbour,  and  keep  clear  of  a  contingent  scrape  in  the 
bargain. 

Nothing  certain  is  known  about  this  business,  for  our  guardian 
angel  with  upright  hair  holds  it  derogatory  to  his  dignity  to  share 
"  responsibility  "  with  anybody.  The  people  need  not  know  any- 
thing about  such  matters  until  it  suits  him  to  tell  them,  and  he  is 
sure  of  their  hurrahs  in  every  supposable  case  ;  but  public  opinion 
seems  to  have  settled  the  question ;  men  have  taken  counsel  from 
their  hopes,  and  cry  Peace  !  Peace  !  God  send  that  it  may  be  so  ; 
and  I  cry  Hurrah  for  William  the  Fourth  and  Andrew  Jackson,  the 
mediator  and  the  mediatee  / 


1 98  THE   DIARY   OF   I'lIILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

February  6. — The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us,  and  sat 
honestly,  like  good  fellows,  until  the  "  noon-  of  night :  "  Mr.  J. 
W.  Wallack,  George  Barclay,  Samuel  Hay,  Charles  A.  Davis, 
James  G.  King,  Benjamin  E.  Bremner,  Robert  Ray,  William  L. 
Miller,  Frederick  Norton,  Washington  Irving,  Henry  Brevoort,  and 
Henry  Hone. 

February  12.  —  The  "  Erie  "  and  the  "  Rhone  "  arrived  to-day 
from  Havre,  the  latter  bringing  letters  to  the  9th  of  January.  The 
President's  message  had  arrived  in  Paris.  It  was  received  with  joy 
and  exultation  by  the  Americans,  and  is  considered  by  the  govern- 
ment and  the  chambers  as  removing  all  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
carrying  into  effect  the  treaty  of  indemnification.  These  arrivals 
bring  us  letters  from  Paris,  which  we  have  been  without  for  three 
weeks,  owing  to  the  horrible  weather,  which  has  kept  all  vessels 
from  entering  the  harbour.  The  Americans  in  Paris  are  elated  at 
the  eclat  which  attended  the  reception  of  the  message.  Mary 
writes  that  she  intends  to  shout  "  Hurrah  for  Jackson  !  "  as  long  as 
she  lives.  His  usual  good  luck  has  attended  him  throughout  this 
whole  affair,  wrong  as  he  may  have  been  in  the  commencement. 
The  French  have  managed  so  badly  as  to  place  him  on  the  vantage- 
ground  in  every  succeeding  step,  and  circumstances  have  conspired 
to  give  him  the  power  to  trump  the  last  trick  and  win  the  game 
whenever  he  pleased,  without  compromising  his  own  pride  or  the 
national  character. 

February  13.  —  By  the  bye,  I  think  the  merchants  are  wrong 
in  opposing  so  strenuously  the  wishes  of  the  up-town  people  to  have 
the  Post-Office  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  the  City  Hall  park. 
The  Custom-House  and  the  Exchange  are  properly  located  in  Wall 
street,  for  they  are  exclusively  devoted  to  the  merchants,  and  their 
wishes  should  alone  be  consulted  on  the  subject ;  but  it  is  not  so 
with  the  Post-Office.  Many  persons  in  the  upper  wards  are  in  the 
habit  of  receiving  letters, — not  so  many,  certainly,  as  the  Howlands 
and  the  Griswolds,  but  enough  to  give  them  a  right  to  a  say  in  the 
matter.     But  the  strongest  argument  is  one  of  policy,  and  in  disre- 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 99 

garding  it  the  merchants  are  short-sighted  ;  the  numerical  strength 
of  the  upper  wards  is  so  great  that  they  control  our  elections,  and 
have  on  all  municipal  questions  a  controlling  voice.  They  have 
been  foiled  in  one  or  two  affLiirs  of  this  kind,  and  are  somewhat 
savage  at  this  determination  of  the  "moneyed  aristocracy"  (for  that 
is  the  term  which  the  cant  of  the  demagogues  applies  to  the  mer- 
chants) to  keep  the  Post-Office  to  themselves ;  they  would  consent 
to  a  compromise  which  would  place  this  establishment  near  the 
park  (the  site  of  the  present  Bridewell  would  be  a  grand  place, 
and  a  building  similar  to  the  Record  Office  would  make  a  splen- 
did finish),  and  that  location  would  be  permanent;  whereas  there 
is  danger  that,  if  Wall  street  is  now  agreed  upon,  the  pertinacity  of 
the  people  of  the  first  ward  would  be  punished  by  its  removal, 
before  five  years,  to  the  Bowery  or  Union  place. 

February  18. — The  following  fact,  proving  the  unprecedented 
severity  of  the  present  winter,  and  (I  should  say)  the  folly  of  the 
persons  concerned  in  the  exploit,  I  copy  from  one  of  the  news- 
papers, as  worthy  of  being  preserved  amongst  the  records  of  the 
weather  in  this  vicinity :  "  A  friend  at  Cow  Neck  informs  us  that 
two  gentlemen  (Thomas  and  Adam  Mott),  on  the  7th  of  this 
month,  crossed  Long  Island  Sound  on  foot,  —  a  distance  of  seven 
and  a  half  miles,  —  on  the  ice,  from  the  mouth  of  Hempstead 
Harbour  to  Rye  Point,  in  Connecticut,  and  then  returned,  mak- 
ing a  distance  of  fifteen  miles." 

February  19.  —  Mr,    Biddle  has    foiled   his  impla- 
^  cable    enemy.    General   Jackson.     The  United    States 

Bank  has  been  incorporated  in  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Every  effort  was  made  to  defeat  it  and  the  stale  charge 
of  bribery  brought  against  some  of  its  friends ;  but  it  passed  both 
Houses,  and  the  Governor,  Rittner,  having  signed  it,  "  the  monster" 
is  on  its  legs  again,  and  the  President  must  seek  his  retreat  "  in 
the  deserts  of  Arabia,"  where  he  swore  he  would  go  whenever 
the  bank  was  incorporated.  I  have  no  interest  in  the  matter,  and 
doubt  much  if  the  institution  of  so  great  a  bank  in  a  neighbouring 


200  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

State  may  not  prove  injurious  to  New  York ;  but  if  it  is  the  cause 
of  Jackson  going  to  Arabia  to  stay,  I  rejoice. 

February  23.  —  Twenty  lots  in  the  "burned  dis- 
SaicofLots.  trict,"  the  property  of  Joel  Post,  deceased,  were  sold 
at  auction  this  day,  by  James  Bleecker  &  Son,  at  most 
enormous  prices,  greater  than  they  would  have  brought  before  the 
fire,  when  covered  with  valuable  buildings.  This,  at  least,  is  the 
opinion  of  the  best  judges  of  the  value  of  down-town  property. 
The  settlement  of  the  French  question  has  had  much  to  do  in 
producing  this  result,  aided  by  the  spirit  of  speculation  and  the 
sanguine  hopes  of  the  merchants  of  a  great  business  this  year. 
The  lots  were  formed  principally  out  of  the  property  bought  by 
Mr.  Post  from  the  guardians  of  Mr.  Coster's  children,  for  which 
he  gave  $93,000.  They  fronted  on  Wall,  William,  and  Merchant 
streets,  and  Exchange  place,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
site  of  the  old  Merchants'  Exchange,  and  where  a  new  one  is 
to  be  built,  on  a  larger  and  more  magnificent  plan.  The  whole 
brought  $765,100. 

February  24.  — The  trades-union  people  have  been 
Riots.  trying  for  some  time  past  to  get  up  a  row,  and  suc- 

ceeded yesterday.  The  journeymen  and  labouring 
men  of  different  occupations  have  struck  for  wages,  and  their 
employers,  in  most  instances,  have  resisted  them  Avith  firmness. 
The  stevedores  and  other  labourers  employed  along-shore  made  a 
demand  for  an  increase  of  wages,  which  the  employers  consented 
to,  in  consideration  of  the  severity  of  the  weather,  the  increased 
expense  of  living,  and  the  abundance  of  work ;  but  this  concession 
encouraged  further  demands,  and  they  would  not  go  to  work 
without  a  promise  of  the  new  wages  for  a  year  in  advance.  This 
was  resisted ;  an  immense  body  of  the  malcontents  paraded  the 
wharves  all  yesterday  and  attacked  the  men  who  refused  to  join 
them.  Several  vessels  were  armed  to  protect  the  men  who  were 
willing  to  work.  Captain  Waite,  of  the  ship  "United  States," 
loaded  a  four-pounder  with  grape  and  canister  shot,  determined  to 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  201 

oppose  their  boarding  the  vessel.  The  Mayor  and  police  magis- 
trates repaired  to  the  spot ;  some  of  the  officers  were  attacked  by 
the  rioters,  one  of  whom,  named  Brink,  had  his  skull  fractured,  and 
his  life  is  despaired  of.  While  this  disgraceful  scene  was  acting  on 
the  wharves,  a  large  body  of  labourers  assailed  the  men  who  were  at 
work  removing  the  rubbish  from  the  ruins  of  the  fire,  with  clubs 
and  brickbats ;  the  police  were  sent  for,  and  succeeded,  after  a 
battle,  in  capturing  four  or  five  of  the  ringleaders. 

The  Mayor,  who  acts  with  vigour  and  firmness,  ordered  out  the 
troops,  who  are  now  on  duty  with  loaded  arms,  ready  for  action. 
These  measures  have  restored  order  for  the  present,  but  I  fear  the 
elements  of  disorder  are  at  work ;  the  bands  of  Irish  and  other 
foreigners,  instigated  by  the  mischievous  councils  of  the  trades- 
union  and  other  combinations  of  discontented  men,  are  acquiring 
strength  and  importance  which  will  ere  long  be  difficult  to  quell. 

The   subscription   for   the   new   Exchange,    on   the 
^^"^  enlarged  plan,  has  been  filled  with  a  liberality  which 

Exchange. 

does  great  honour  to  our  merchants.  It  will  embrace 
the  whole  front  on  Wall  street  from  Exchange  place  to  William 
street,  taking  in  the  whole  block,  and  will  cost  from  $1,000,000  to 
$1,200,000.  The  certainty  of  the  accompUshment  of  this  magnifi- 
cent project  was  one  of  the  causes  of  the  high  prices  of  Mr.  Post's 
property  at  the  sale  yesterday.  The  location  of  the  Exchange  in 
Wall  street  has  made  princely  fortunes  for  the  proprietors  of  lots 
in  the  first  ward.  If  it  had  been  originally  placed  in  the  park  (as 
was  strongly  urged  by  many  at  the  time)  my  house  would  now 
have  been  worth  more  money  than  all  the  property  of  Post's, 
which  has  been  sold  for  $765,100;  without  that  I  do  not  think 
that  it  would  have  brought  the  odd  $65,100. 

March  2.  —  The  Fire-king  reigns  supreme  in  this  devoted  city; 
what  with  alterations,  pulling  down  and  burning  up,  the  city  in  the 
aggregate  is  rebuilt,  I  should  think,  about  once  in  seven  years. 

The  Hon.  John  Tyler,  member  of  the  Senate  from  Virginia,  a 
leading  Whig  and  an  influential  member  of  that  patriotic   party. 


202  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  56. 

resigned  his  seat,  on  Monday  last,  in  a  very  handsome  letter  ad- 
dressed to  the  Vice-President.  It  is  understood  that  this  gentle- 
man has  withdrawn  his  valuable  services  from  the  public  at  this 
important  crisis  when  such  men  are  so  much  wanted,  from 
his  view  (a  mistaken  one,  I  humbly  conceive)  of  his  duty  to 
his  constituents,  who  have  instructed  him  and  his  v,-orthy  col- 
league, Benjamin  Watkins  Leigh,  to  vote  for  the  expunging  resolu- 
tions (as  they  are  called),  in  which  they  are  to  condemn  their  own 
act  when  they  voted  that  the  President,  in  certain  of  his  rash 
measures,  had  transcended  his  powers  and  violated  the  constitu- 
tion. This,  of  course,  they  cannot  do,  as  honourable  men,  and 
Governor  Tyler,  maintaining  the  doctrine  that  the  representative 
is  governed  by  the  instructions  of  his  constituents,  has  no  alterna- 
tive but  to  resign  his  seat,  and,  to  the  gratification  of  the  admin- 
istration party,  leave  it  open  for  one  of  their  own  men;  the 
Legislature  of  Virginia  having  at  present  (temporarily,  perhaps)  a 
small  majority  of  that  sort  of  folks. 

Thus  it  ever  is.  The  honourable,  high-minded  men,  viewing 
personal  consistency  as  of  greater  importance  than  party  fidelity, 
do  not  hesitate  to  maintain  the  one  at  the  expense  of  the  other, 
and  persons  less  scrupulous  usurp  their  stations  in  the  government. 
Who  ever  knew  a  Jackson  man  to  give  up  his  seat  one  day  before 
he  was  forced  to,  because  the  body  of  his  constituents,  much  less 
an  evanescent  Legislature,  held  political  opinions  different  from  his  ? 
This  change  will,  it  is  to  be  feared,  place  the  Websters,  the  Clays, 
the  Prestons,  the  Calhouns,  and  the  Leighs  in  a  minority,  and  the 
arm  of  power  will  be  extended  unchecked  over  this  great,  but 
hardly  ridden,  country.  It  is  hoped  the  opinions  of  Governor 
Tyler's  colleague  do  not  coincide  with  his,  and  that  he  will  not 
resign.  If  my  view  of  his  constitutional  obligations  is  correct,  he 
ought  not. 

March  7.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  :  Mr.  Alex- 
ander Duncan  of  Canandaigua,  Mr.  George  Griswold,  Samuel  Hay, 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  203 

S.  S.  Howland,  J.  B.  Fleming,  Mr.  B.  L.  Swan,  I.  S.  Hone,  and 
Charles  Clinton. 

March  8.  —  I  have  this  day  sold  my  house  in  which 
^^  ^^  I   live,  No.  235    Broadway,  to  Elijah  Boardman,  for 

$60,000,  to  be  converted  into  shops  below,  and  the 
upper  part  to  form  part  of  the  establishment  of  the  American 
Hotel,  kept  by  Edward  Milford,  in  which  I  imagine  Mr.  Boardman 
to  be  interested.  I  bought  this  property  on  the  8th  of  March, 
182 1,  after  my  return  from  Europe.  I  gave  Jonathan  Smith 
$25,000  for  it.  I  make  a  large  profit ;  but  the  rage  for  speculation 
is  at  present  so  high  that  it  will  prove  an  excellent  purchase.  The 
house  belonging  to  the  Phoenix  Insurance  Company,  two  or  three 
doors  above  Warren  street,  was  sold  this  day  at  auction,  for 
$40,000.  The  building  is  worth  little  or  nothing,  and  the  lot  only 
twenty-five  feet  by  one  hundred  and  six  feet ;  mine  is  thirty-seven 
feet  by  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  and  is  very  cheap  compared 
wth  the  other. 

I  am  to  retain  possession  until  the  15  th  of  October,  unless  I 
choose  to  give  it  up  before.  I  shall  leave  this  delightful  house 
with  feelings  of  deep  regret.  The  splendid  rooms,  the  fine  situa- 
tion, my  snug  library,  well-arranged  books,  handsome  pictures, 
what  will  become  of  them  ?  I  have  turned  myself  out  of  doors ; 
but  $60,000  is  a  great  deal  of  money. 

Wednesday,  March  9.  —  After  the  breaking  up  of  the  Board  of 
the  Savings-Bank,  Mr.  Swan  and  I  walked  out  to  the  Second 
avenue,  St.  Mark's  place,  Tompkins  square,  and  Lafayette  place.  I 
am  turned  out  of  doors,  and  he  expects  soon  to  be.  Almost  every- 
body down-town  is  in  the  same  predicament,  for  all  the  dwelling- 
houses  are  to  be  converted  into  stores.  We  are  tempted  with 
prices  so  exorbitantly  high  that  none  can  resist,  and  the  old  down- 
town burgomasters,  who  have  fixed  to  one  spot  all  their  lives,  will 
be  seen,  during  the  next  summer,  in  flocks,  marching  reluctantly 
north  to  pitch  their  tents  in  places  which,  in  their  time,  were 
orchards,  corn-fields,  or  morasses  a  pretty  smart   distance   from 


204  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  56. 

town,  and  a  journey  to  which  was,  formerly,  an  affair  of  some 
moment,  and  required  preparation  beforehand,  but  which  consti- 
tute at  this  time  the  most  fashionable  quarter  of  New  York.  We 
did  not  see  any  lots  which  appeared  to  us  so  desirable  as  some  on 
Lafayette  place. 

March  12.  —  The  winter  is  not  yet  over;  the  wind  came  out 
from  the  north-west  last  night;  the  thermometer  is  down  to  18" 
this  morning,  and  the  high  banks  of  ice  in  the  streets  have  the  ap- 
pearance of  solid  walls  of  black  marble.  I  make  these  remarks  so 
frequently  about  the  weather,  because  I  imagine  the  winter  of 
1835-6  will  stand  hereafter  recorded  in  our  annals  as  the  hard 
winter  of  modern  days.  I  saw  it  mentioned  in  the  papers  that  the 
ice  has  been  sawed  through  in  Connecticut  river,  opposite  Hart- 
ford, and  found  to  be  forty  inches  in  thickness. 

Everything  in  New  York  is  at  an  exorbitant  price. 
High  prices.     Rents  have  risen  fifty  per  cent,  for  the  next  year.     I 

have  sold  my  house,  it  is  true,  for  a  large  sum;  but 
where  to  go  I  know  not.  Lots  two  miles  from  the  City  Hall  are 
worth  $8,000  or  1 10,000.  Even  in  the  eleventh  ward,  toward  the 
East  river,  where  they  sold  two  or  three  years  ago  for  $2,000  or 
$3,000,  they  are  held  now  at  $4,000  and  $5,000,  Everything  is  in 
the  same  proportion ;  the  market  was  higher  this  morning  than  I 
have  ever  known  it,  —  beef  twenty-five  cents  per  pound,  mutton 
and  veal  fifteen  to  eighteen  cents,  small  turkeys  a  dollar  and  a  half. 
This  does  very  well  for  persons  in  business  and  speculators,  who 
make,  as  the  saying  is,  "one  hand  wash  another;"  but  it  comes 
hard  upon  those  retired  from  business,  who  live  upon  fixed  in- 
comes, particularly  public  officers,  clerks  in  banks  and  counting- 
houses,  whose  salaries  are  never  raised  in  proportion  to  the  in- 
creased expense  of  living. 

March  19.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Louis  McLane.     He 
Mr.  McLane.    occupies  the  house  No.   I   Greenwich  street,  formerly 

Dominick  Lynch's,  and  more  recently  Abraham  Scher- 
merhorn's,  who  owns  it  still.     Mr.  McLane  is  one  of  the  ablest  and 


1S36.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  205 

most  agreeable  men  I  ever  knew,  and  has  a  delightful  family.  He 
has  occupied  several  of  the  highest  stations  in  our  government ; 
originally  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  for  the  State  of 
Maryland,  then  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States ;  in  both  houses 
he  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  members.  In  April,  1829, 
he  was  appointed  Minister  to  Great  Britain.  On  the  breaking  up 
of  General  Jackson's  first  cabinet,  in  April,  1831,  he  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  subsequently,  on  the  retirement  of 
Mr.  Livingston,  he  was  made  Secretary  of  State,  which  office  he 
held  until  the  old  chief  made  the  place  too  hot  for  him.  He  re- 
signed, as  was  pretty  well  understood  at  the  time,  because  he  dis- 
approved of  the  removal  of  the  deposits ;  but  he  went  quietly  out 
of  office,  without  assigning  that  as  the  reason.  He  was  soon  after- 
ward elected  president  of  the  Morris  Canal  Company,  with  a  salary 
of  $6,000,  and  became  a  citizen  of  New  York,  to  the  sincere  gratifi- 
cation of  all  the  New  Yorkers  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his 
acquaintance. 

March  24.  —  I  dined  with  the  members  of  the  Reading  Club, 
at  Washington  Hotel.  There  were  about  twenty;  some  bright 
spirits  :  the  Duers,  Irving,  Hoffman,  Charles  King,  Davis,  Han'ey, 
Colonel  AVhite  of  Florida,  Fleming,  Patterson,  Halleck,  etc. 

I  bought  this  day,  from  Samuel  Ward,  for  $15,000,  the  lot  comer 
of  Broadway  and  Great  Jones  street,  twenty-nine  feet  wide  and 
one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  deep.  It  is  my  intention  to  build  a 
house  on  this  lot  for  my  own  residence,  after  I  shall  be  turned  out 
of  the  house  I  now  occupy. 

M.\RCH  26.  —  The    Legislature    of  the    State   have 
tT^J  granted  an  act  of  incorporation  to  a  company  to  con- 

struct a  tunnel  under  the  Hudson  river,  from  the  city 
of  Albany  to  the  east  side.  The  directors  named  in  the  bill  are  : 
Joel  N.  Note,  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  Jr.,  James  Stevenson,  James 
Vanderpoel,  and  John  Townsend.  The  charter  is  in  perpetuity, 
without  a  reservation  of  the  power  to  modify  or  repeal.  The  width 
of  the  tunnel  is  to  be  twenty-four  feet  and  the  height  twelve  feet. 


206  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP    HONE.  [.-Etat.  56. 

the  crown  of  the  arch  eighteen  inches  below  the  bed  of  the  river. 
This  is,  I  beUeve,  the  first  tunnel  under  water  in  this  country. 
New  York  is  ever  first  in  works  of  improvement  and  enterprise. 

March  29.  —  The  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  on 
Mr.  Webster  in  ^j^y^g^j^y  last  in  Convention,  renominated  Mr.  Webster 

Massachusetts.  ■' 

for  President,  and  nominated  Mr.  Granger  for  Vice- 
President.  Their  resolutions  are  patriotic  and  uncompromising. 
They  go  for  principle,  not  for  expediency.  A  letter  from  Mr. 
Webster  was  read  at  this  convention  worthy  of  himself.  He  prefers 
to  retire  from  the  contest,  but  will  stand  by  his  friends  and  by  the 
Constitution,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  whether  in  majorities  or 
minorities,  in  prosperous  or  in  adverse  fortune." 

April  4.  —  I  went  this  evening  to  a  party  given  at  Mrs.  Fred- 
erick Sheldon's,  Bowling  Green.  Everything  was  in  admirable 
taste,  and  the  pictures  and  other  works  of  art  which  were  collected 
by  the  host  and  hostess  during  their  late  visit  to  Europe  were 
displayed  to  great  advantage. 

April  5 .  —  This  celebrated   lady   is   now   in    New 
,,'^^.  York.     She   arrived  here   last   autumn,  and  has  been 

Martineau. 

travelling  in  the  Southern  States.  She  brought  me  a 
letter  from  Mr.  MacCready.  Margaret  and  I  called  upon  her. 
She  has  been  at  our  house,  and  this  morning  I  called  again  to  see 
her.  I  was  apprehensive,  from  her  high  literary  reputation,  that  I 
should  find  her  a  little  too  blue  to  be  agreeable.  But  it  is  not  at 
all  the  case ;  she  is  pleasant  and  unafifected,  has  great  vivacity, 
talks  well  upon  all  subjects,  and  is  fond  of  laughing ;  with  these 
qualifications  she  is,  of  course,  an  engaging  companion.  The  only 
difficulty  in  conversing  with  her*  arises  from  her  great  deafness, 
which  is  obviated  (at  least  so  far  as  one  speaker  at  a  time  is  con- 
cerned) by  the  use  of  a  trumpet  formed  of  a  tube  of  gum-elastic, 
one  end  of  which  she  places  in  her  right  ear,  while  the  mouth  of 
the  person  conversing  with  her  is  applied  to  the  other. 

April  7.  —  The  Reading  Club  gave  a  dinner,  at  Washington 
Hotel,  to    Mr.  John  Duer,  on  the  occasion  of  his  departure  for 


1836.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  20/ 

Europe.  My  engagement  prevented  me  from  going  until  nine  o'clock, 
at  which  time  I  joined  the  party,  and  I  have  seldom  passed  so  agree- 
able an  evening.  I  was  too  late  for  a  speech  from  the  distinguished 
guest,  which  was  agreed  on  all  hands  to  have  been  admirable,  but 
the  whole  time  until  the  hour  of  breaking  up  (half-past  twelve 
o'clock)  was  a  scene  of  joviality,  wit,  and  brilliancy.  Many  excel- 
lent speeches  were  made,  and  innumerable  good  things  said,  which 
literally  "  set  the  table  in  a  roar." 

Henry  S.  Hoyt,  eldest  son  of  Mr.  Goold  Hoyt,  was  married  at 
the  college,  this  day,  at  noon,  to  Frances,  eldest  daughter  of  Wm. 
A.  Duer,  LL.D.,  President  of  the  college. 

April  8.  —  We  had  a  dinner-party  to-day  consisting  of  the 
following  ladies  and  gentlemen:  Mrs.  and  Miss  McLane  (Mr. 
McLane  is  absent).  President  and  Mrs.  Duer,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  R.  Jones,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  A.  Hamilton, 
Mr.  Washington  Irving,  Mr.  Chas.  McEvers,  Jr.,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Peter  Schermerhorn,  Miss  Sarah  Duer,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaac  S.  Hone, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Jones,  Miss  Mary  Hamilton,  Mr.  Hay,  Mr.  Nicholas 
Low,  Edward  Schermerhorn. 

April  22.  —  I  this  day  hired  the  house  belonging  to  J\Ir. 
Bloomer,  the  upper  one  of  the  two  marble  houses  with  porticos  in 
Broadway,  opposite  Washington  place,  for  5 1,600  per  annum.  It 
is  a  fine  house,  delightfully  situated,  and  quite  convenient  to  the 
place  where  I  intend  to  build. 

May  9.  —  There  is  much  excitement  in  relation  to 
^exican  ^-^^  revolt  of  the  people  of  Texas  against  the  Govern- 

ment of  Mexico.  These  people,  fugitives  and  rene- 
gades from  the  United  States,  having  raised  the  standard  of  rebellion 
(or  revolution,  I  suppose  they  call  it)  against  the  Government  under 
which  they  have  chosen  to  Hve,  and,  having  been  unsuccessful  thus 
far,  now  claim  the  protection  of  the  Government  of  this  country. 
They  abandoned  America  as  citizens,  and  General  Jackson,  having 
failed  in  getting  up  a  French  war,  seems  determined  to  recognize 
this  sort  of  paternity,  and  have  a  tilt  of  some  kind  before  he  doffs 


208  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  56. 

his  knightly  armor  as  Grand  Master  of  the  Columbian  Order,  In- 
structions have  been  given  to  General  Gaines  to  protect  the  United 
States  frontier  bordering  on  Texas,  at  all  events.  This  is  very  well 
as  far  as  it  goes,  but  his  orders  will  warrant  him  in  leading  his  forces 
over  the  Mexican  line,  if,  in  his  opinion,  there  should  be  indications 
of  a  hostile  intention  ;  in  other  words,  giving  him  authority  to  com- 
mence a  war  without  the  sanction  of  Congress,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
the  "  old  chief"  has  intimated  to  him  that  that  course  would 
"  break  no  squares  "  at  Washington.  These  facts  came  out  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  on  Friday  last,  on  a  resolution  of  Mr. 
Cambreling  to  appropriate  a  million  of  dollars  for  the  protection 
of  the  Mexican  frontier.  Colonel  White  is  in  town ;  he  told  me 
on  Saturday  that  he  considers  a  Mexican  war  as  a  very  probable 
event.     The  Western  speculators  will  be  all  in  favor  of  it. 

May  14. — :This  has  been  a  busy  week  for  me.  I  have  done 
more  work  than  in  any  other  week  since  I  quitted  business.  On 
Monday  morning  I  commenced  the  removal  of  the  library ;  the 
bookcases  were  taken  to  pieces,  carried  to  the  new  house,  and  are 
now  nearly  ready  to  receive  the  books,  which  are  all  there  lying  on 
the  floor,  tied  up  and  labelled  with  the  numbers  of  the  shelves. 
Having  had  two  wine- closets  and  a  part  of  the  cellar  shelved  and 
prepared,  we  began  on  Thursday  morning  to  remove  the  wine  from 
the  garret  and  wine-room  of  the  old  house,  in  which  a  great  part 
of  it  has  remained  untouched  fourteen  years.  It  went  away  in 
fifteen  cartloads  of  baskets.  I  received  it,  stowed  it  away  nicely, 
and  took  an  inventory  of  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty 
quarts  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  half-gallon  bottles  of  Madeira 
and  sherry ;  so  that  job  is  done. 

May  28. — There  has  been  another  disgraceful  riot 
owa    le       ^^  ^j^^  p^^^  Theatre.     Mr.  Wood,  notwithstanding  he 

Theatre.  '  ° 

sings  so  well,  is  the  cause  of  this  breach  of  harmony. 
Music  may  have  "  charms  to  soothe  the  savage  breast,"  but  not  the 
breast  of  the  pugnacious  Mr.  Webb,  editor  of  "  The  Courier  and 
Enquirer."     This  important  personage  charged  Wood  with  unkind- 


1S36.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  209 

ness  and  a  want  of  gallantry  towards  Mrs.  Conduit,  a  little  woman 
who  sings  well  ami  is  pretty,  and  has  been  associated  with  the 
Woods  in  some  of  their  operas.  This  occasioned  Mr.  Wood  to  be 
hissed  ;  he  came  forward  and  denied  the  charge.  Webb  reiterated 
it ;  Wood  challenged  him ;  the  audience  on  a  subsequent  evening 
again  expressed  their  disapprobation,  and  were  not  satisfied  with 
his  explanation.  In  yesterday  morning's  "  Courier  and  Enquirer," 
Mr.  Webb,  in  a  most  reprehensible  article,  calls  upon  the  populace 
to  go  that  evening  to  the  theatre  and  drive  Wood  off  the  stage. 
This,  of  course,  had  the  desired  effect ;  for  when  was  there  a  difficulty 
in  finding  ruffians  enough  not  only  to  break  into  a  theatre  when 
thus  instigated,  but  to  pull  down,  set  fire  to,  and  destroy  the  city 
if  they  had  a  chance  ?  Mr.  Webb  succeeded ;  an  immense  mob 
collected  about  the  theatre,  forced  an  entrance,  and  compelled  Mr. 
Simpson  to  withdraw  the  Woods  and  promise  that  they  would  not 
again  appear.  This  was  the  last  engagement  of  those  charming 
singers  previous  to  their  return,  and  I  and  others  must  be  deprived 
of  the  pleasure  of  hearing  them  because  Mr.  Webb  charges  Mr. 
Wood  with  impoliteness,  and  he  denies  it.  As  well  may  this  pre- 
sumptuous newspaper  editor  exert  the  power  of  the  press  which  he 
conducts  to  the  gratification  of  personal  pique  or  private  resent- 
ment, and  the  public,  the  orderly  part  of  the  public,  must  acquiesce, 
and  relinquish  a  rational  amusement,  or  engage  in  a  disgraceful 
contest  with  the  loafers  and  Five-pointers  who  are  ever  ready  to 
respond  to  such  a  call  as  they  received  on  this  occasion. 

May  30.  —  I  called  yesterday  to  see  an  old  friend.  Dr.  Peter 
Ir\-ing,  who  arrived  on  Saturday,  in  the  ship  "  Erie,"  from  Havre. 
He  has  resided  in  France  twenty-seven  years,  during  which  time 
I  have  not  seen  him,  for  I  missed  him  in  1S21  when  I  was  in 
Havre,  owing  to  his  absence  from  home.  He  expresses  some  sur- 
prise at  my  gray  hairs,  but  he  will  find  other  changes  equally 
astonishing.  How  strange  must  be  the  feelings  of  a  New  Yorker, 
absent  so  long,  in  witnessing  the  changes  which  have  taken  place  ; 
for  no  description  can  give  the  same  idea  of  it  as  actual  observation. 


210  THE   DIARY   OF   riilLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  56. 

May  31.  —  I  am  a  great  lover  of  flowers.  They  furnish  at  all 
times,  and  particularly  in  the  spring,  enjoyment  of  the  most  refined 
and  delicate  nature,  —  a  species  of  enjoyment  which  ranks  with 
reading  of  poetry,  looking  at  a  fine  picture,  and  drinking  a  glass  of 
Chateau  Margaux,  in  which  the  senses  are  gratified  without  sen- 
suality. 

June  2.  —  There  arrived  at  this  port,  during  the  month  of  May, 
15,825  passengers.  All  Europe  is  coming  across  the  ocean;  all 
that  part  at  least  who  cannot  make  a  living  at  home ;  and  what 
shall  we  do  with  them  ?  They  increase  our  taxes,  eat  our  bread, 
and  encumber  our  streets,  and  not  one  in  twenty  is  competent  to 
keep  himself. 

June  3.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us:  Chancellor 
Kent,  Luther  Bradish,  Wm.  H.  Seward,  Samuel  B.  Ruggles,  Charles 
King,  Charles  H.  Russell,  John  Van  Buren,  Murray,  Isaac  S.  Hone, 
Charles  A.  Davis. 

June  6.  —  In  corroboration  of  the  remarks  which  I 
^urneyman  ^^^^  occasionally  made  of  late,  on  the  spirit  of  faction 
and  contempt  of  the  laws  which  pervades  the  commu- 
nity at  this  time,  is  the  conduct  of  the  journeymen  tailors,  instigated 
by  a  set  of  vile  foreigners  (principally  English),  who,  unable  to 
endure  the  restraints  of  wholesome  law,  well  administered  in  their 
own  country,  take  refuge  here,  establish  trades-unions,  and  vihfy 
Yankee  judges  and  juries.  Twenty  odd  of  these  were  convicted  at 
the  Oyer  and  Terminer  of  a  conspiracy  to  raise  their  wages  and  to 
prevent  any  of  the  craft  from  working  at  prices  less  than  those  for 
which  they  struck.  Judge  Edwards  gave  notice  that  he  would 
proceed  to  sentence  them  this  day ;  but,  in  consequence  of  the  con- 
tmuance  of  Robinson's  trial,  the  Court  postponed  the  sentence  until 
Friday. 

This,  however,  being  the  day  on  which  it  was  expected,  crowds 
of  people  have  been  collected  in  the  park,  ready  for  any  mischief 
to  which  they  may  have  been  instigated,  and  a  most  diabolical  and 
inflammatory  hand-bill  was  circulated  yesterday,  headed  by  a  coffin. 


1836.]  THE   DIARV   OF   PIIILIP   IIOXE.  211 

The  Board  of  Aldermen  held  an  informal  meeting  this  evening,  at 
which  a  resolution  was  adopted  authorizing  the  Mayor  to  offer  a 
reward  for  the  discovery  of  the  author,  printer,  publisher,  or  dis- 
tributor of  this  incendiary  publication.  The  following  was  the 
hand-bill :  — 

"  THE    RICH    AGAINST   THE    POOR  ! 

"  Judge  Edwards,  the  tool  of  the  aristocracy,  against  the  people  ! 
Mechanics  and  working  men  !  A  deadly  blow  has  been  struck  at 
your  liberty  !  The  prize  for  which  your  fathers  fought  has  been 
robbed  from  you  !  the  freemen  of  the  North  are  now  on  a  level 
with  the  slaves  of  the  South  !  with  no  other  privilege  than  labouring, 
that  drones  may  fatten  on  your  life-blood  !  Twenty  of  your  breth- 
ren have  been  found  guilty  for  presuming  to  resist  a  reduction  of 
their  wages  !  and  Judge  Edwards  has  charged  an  American  jury, 
and  agreeably  to  that  charge,  they  have  established  the  precedent 
that  workingmen  have  no  right  to  regulate  the  price  of  labour,  or, 
in  other  words,  the  rich  are  the  only  judges  of  the  wants  of  the 
poor  man.  On  Monday,  June  6,  1836,  at  ten  o'clock,  these 
freemen  are  to  receive  their  sentence,  to  gratify  the  hellish  appe- 
tites of  the  aristocrats  ! 

"  On  Monday,  the  liberty  of  the  workingmen  will  be  interred  ! 
Judge  Edwards  is  to  chant  the  requiem  !  Go  !  Go  !  Go  !  every 
freeman,  every  workingman,  and  hear  the  hollow  and  the  melan- 
choly sound  of  the  earth  on  the  coffin  of  equality  !  Let  the  court- 
room, the  City  Hall,  yea  !  the  whole  park,  be  filled  with  mourners  ; 
but  remember,  offer  no  violence  to  Judge  Edwards,  bend  meekly, 
and  receive  the  chain  wherewith  you  are  to  be  bound  !  Keep  the 
peace  !     Above  all  things,  keep  the  peace  !  " 

June    7.  —  I  had  a  letter  to-day  from  the   accom- 
johnGait.        plishcd    author    of    the    "Ayrshire     Legatees"    and 
"  Annals  of  the  Parish  "  and  "  Eleven  Strokes  and  Ag- 
gravations of  Paralysis."     The  latter,  he  says,  "  Have  disabled  me 
from  taking  part  any  longer  in  the  uses  of  the  world  "  ;  but  his 


212  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HOXE.  [/Etat.  56. 

mental  faculties  appear  to  be  unimpaired,  and  he  does  me  the 
honour  to  say,  that  unless  I  forbid  him  he  intends  to  inscribe  to 
me  a  "little  book,"  for  which  he  has  been  arranging  materials, 
"  that  I  may  hav^e  an  opportunity,"  he  adds,  "  of  stating  my  own 
impressions  of  the  United  States,  for  the  topic  now  begms  to  be 
popular  here,  and  favourable  opinions  begin  to  be  appreciated." 

June  9. — Among  the  fleet  of  vessels  which  sailed 
DrTrtJr«  }'esterday  and  to-day  were  the  "Havre,"  having  as  pas- 
sengers Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cottenet  and  children,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Boreel,  and  Miss  Langdon;  the  "  Montreal,"  with  Mr.  Steven- 
son, the  new  Tvlinister  to  England,  his  lady  and  Miss  Coles  and 
AUyn  Otis.  The  "  Shefifield,"  in  which  Mr.  Wallack  went ;  she  was 
ready  for  sea  on  the  24th  of  May,  and  was  prevented  from  day 
to  day  by  the  easterly  storm.  The  "  Montreal  "  was  the  packet  of 
the  first  instant.  Arrived  yesterday,  from  Liverpool,  the  "  Orpheus." 
Temple  Bowdoin  was  one  of  her  passengers. 

June  13.  —  Yesterday  morning  was  clear,  bright,  and  beautiful, 
and  we  enjoyed  in  our  new  residence  up  town  all  the  pleasures  of 
the  country.  The  air  was  refreshing,  the  trees  in  full  verdure, 
the  birds  sang  sweetly,  and  when  I  walked  down  to  Trinity  Church 
(where  I  shall  continue  to  go  at  least  once  a  day),  I  met  and 
overtook  crowds  of  well-dressed  persons  on  their  way  to  the 
several  places  of  divine  worship.  It  looked  indeed  as  the  morn- 
ing of  the  Christian  Sabbath  always  should. 

June  17. — A  new  club  is  about  being  established, 
^,'*'°'^  at  the  head  of  which  are  a  number  of  our  most  dis- 

Ciuo. 

tinguished  citizens,  to  consist  of  four  hundred  mem- 
bers, and  to  be  similar  in  its  plan  and  regulations  to  the  great 
clubs  of  London,  which  give  a  tone  and  character  to  the  society 
of  the  British  metropolis.  A  meeting  was  held  this  evening,  at 
the  Athenaeum,  to  organize  the  club,  at  which  I  was  earnestly  in- 
vited to  attend,  but  I  could  not  get  away  from  Mr.  Griffin's  in 
time. 

June  20.  —  In  the  ship  "Samson,"  arrived  yesterday  from  Lon- 


1S36.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  213 

don,  came  passengers  Charles  Parish,  N.  P.  WilHs  and  his  new 
EngHsh  wife,  and  the  Right  Hon.  Edward  EUice.  Greenough  the 
sculptor  arrived  here  a  few  days  since,  and  went  to  ^V'ashington. 
I  did  not  see  him.  His  talents  are  an  honour  to  his  country,  and 
his  fellow-citizens  should  be  proud  of  him.  He  is  engaged  in  a 
great  work  by  order  of  Congress,  a  statue  of  \Vashington,  which 
I  presume  is  the  object  of  his  visit  at  this  time. 

Mr.  Naudian  having  resigned,  his  place  in  the  Sen- 
Deiawarc         ^^  ^^  ^j^^  United  States  has  been  filled  by  the  appoint- 

Senalor.  •'  ^  ^ 

raent  of  Richard  H.  Bayard,  by  a  vote  of  seventeen 
to  ten. 

This  is  the  gentleman  whose  society  and  that  of  his  charming 
wife  afforded  us  so  much  pleasure  last  summer  at  Rockaway.  He 
is  a  thorough  Whig,  but  the  party  gains  nothing  in  their  number 
by  his  election,  his  predecessor  being  equally  so.  The  little  State 
of  Delaware  is  a  precious  jewel  in  the  political  diadem.  She  has 
always  been  governed  by  good  principles  and  represented  by 
talents. 

Albany,  Tune  22. — A  party  of  gentlemen  consisting 

Excursion  j  j  o  tr       J  o  o 

in  the  of  the  managers  of  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Company, 

"Novelty."  ^^gether  with  Matthew  St.  Clair  Clarke,  Colonel 
McKinny,  Mr.  Bradley  of  \Vashington,  the  Collector,  Elisha 
Townsend,  and  others,  went  on  board  the  "  Novelty  "  this  morning 
at  six  o'clock,  at  the  foot  of  Chambers  street  in  New  York,  and 
came  to  Albany  in  twelve  hours. 

This  was  the  first  voyage  ever  made  from  New  York  to  Albany 
by  a  steamboat  propelled  by  anthracite  coal.  Dr.  Nott  has  been 
engaged  for  several  years  in  contriving  machinery  to  accomplish 
this  important  object,  and  has  now  succeeded  completely.  The 
great  desideratum  was  to  contrive  the  means  of  igniting  the  coal, 
and  producing  a  flame  sufficient  to  create  the  steam.  This  has 
been  effected  by  condensing  hot  air,  which,  by  injection  into  the 
bottom  of  the  furnaces,  accomplishes  this  object,  and  forces  the 
flame  into  a  chamber  in  which  are  a  great  number  of  iron  tubes 


214  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.!■  tat.  56. 

of  the  size  of  guu-barrels,  placed  vertically.  There  are  four  of 
these  furnaces.  The  quantity  of  coal  consumed  on  this  trip  was 
about  twenty  tons,  which  at  five  dollars  per  ton  amounts  to  one 
hundred  dollars.  The  same  voyage  would  have  consumed  forty 
cords  of  fine  wood,  the  present  price  of  which  is  six  dollars,  making 
a  difference  of  more  than  one-half.  Dr.  Nott,  who  was  on  board, 
has  made  experiments  the  result  of  which  is  that  the  difference  of 
expense  on  board  the  "  Novelty  "  during  one  season  will  amount  to 
$19,000.  The  "  Erie  "  left  New  York  an  hour  after  us,  and  arrived 
two  hours  after  our  arrival,  but  she  made  the  usual  stops,  and  we 
came  directly  on,  so  that  their  speed  was  probably  nearly  equal. 
The  tide  was  against  us  all  day,  and  there  is  a  great  freshet  in  the 
river.  Dr.  Nott  has  succeeded  completely  in  this  invention,  which 
establishes  the  certainty  that  coal  will  supersede  wood  in  all  our 
steamboats,  and  the  Delaware  &i  Hudson  Company  will  hereafter 
be  able  to  sell  all  the  coal  they  can  bring  down  the  canal  at  an 
advanced  price. 

June  30.  —  This  enlightened  statesman  and  illustrious 
a/^  AT°j-         citizen,  Tames  Madison,  former  President  of  the  United 

Mr.  Madison.  '  -"  ' 

States,  died  on  Tuesday  last.  He  had  been  gradually 
sinking  for  some  time  past.  It  is  a  pity  he  had  not  lingered  six 
days  longer,  that  his  death  might  have  occurred,  like  those  of  Jeffer- 
son and  the  elder  Adams,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  political  birth- 
day of  the  country  over  which  they  had  severally  ruled. 

July  2.  —  Joseph  Bonaparte,  formerly  King  of  Naples 
°^"^  and  afterward  of  Spain,  now  bearing  the  title  of  Count 

Survilliers.  '■  ^ 

Survilliers,  after  a  residence  in  this  country  of  twenty 
years,  yesterday  took  his  final  leave  and  sailed  for  London  in  the 
packet  ship  "  Philadelphia."  During  his  residence  in  the  United 
States  he  has  conciliated  the  favourable  opinions  of  all  who  knew 
him,  and  has  left  an  exceedingly  good  name  amongst  his  immediate 
neighbours  at  Bordentown,  where  he  has  a  fine  estate,  on  which  he 
has  lived  for  a  great  portion  of  the  time  of  his  residence  among  us. 
July  ii. — The  discouraging  accounts  of  Mary's  health,  and  the 


1S36.]  THE   DIARV   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  21$ 

uncertainty  we  are  in  respecting  the  movements  of  my  children, 
have  determined  me  to  go  to  Europe  on  Saturday  next,  unless  we 
should  receive  letters  before  that  day  rendering  it  unnecessary.  INIy 
daughter  Margaret  will  be  my  companion.  I  went  on  board  the 
ship  "  England  "  this  morning  and  engaged  our  staterooms. 

At  Sea,  July  16.  —  We  went  on  board  the  steamboat  this  morn- 
ing at  eleven  o'clock.  Many  of  our  friends  attended  to  take  leave 
of  us,  and  several  accompanied  us  to  the  ship,  which  was  lying  below 
Governor's  Island.  The  party  partook  of  a  luncheon  on  board, 
and  leaving  us  oif  Fort  Hamilton,  with  three  cheers  of  encourage- 
ment and  kind  wishes,  we  commenced  our  voyage  to  Liverpool  on 
board  the  good  ship  "  England,"  commanded  by  Captain  Waite,  an 
able  seaman  and  a  gentlemanly  man.  The  "  England  "  is  a  noble, 
fast-saihng  ship  of  731  tons'  burden. 

The  weather  was  bright  at  the  time  of  sailing,  but  the  wind 
northeast,  as  it  has  been  for  so  great  a  portion  of  the  time 
during  the  present  summer,  and  the  departure  of  our  friends  in  the 
steamboat  seemed  to  be  the  signal  for  its  increase,  for  by  two 
o'clock  it  blew  a  gale  from  that  inauspicious  quarter  directly  on 
shore,  with  a  rough  sea,  and  our  ship  pitching  heavily. 

July  18.  —  The  wind  north-east,  blowing  hard  and  cold,  with  a 
heavy  cross-sea.  The  passengers  generally  sick,  but  I  have  recov- 
ered, and  eaten  my  allowance.  I  dined  heartily  on  a  fresh  salmon, 
and  drank  my  usual  quantity  of  wine  at  dinner.  Margaret,  the 
only  lady  at  the  table.  She  is  a  famous  sailor ;  she  sits  on  the  bul- 
warks, to  which  lofty  station  she  is  assisted  by  me,  or  some  other  of 
the  gentlemen,  and  enjoys  the  wild  scene  as  the  gallant  ship  makes 
her  way  through  the  mountain  billows. 

July  19. — We  have  had  one  of  those  incidents  to-day  which 
sometimes  break  in  agreeably  upon  the  monotony  of  a  sea  voyage. 
A  sail  ahead  was  descried  early  in  the  morning,  which  we  soon 
made  out  to  be  a  large  ship  steering  the  same  course.  We  gained 
steadily  upon  her,  until  it  was  ascertained  to  be  the  "  Charlemagne  " 
under  a  great  press  of  sail.     How  she  got  ahead  so  far  to  wind- 


2l6  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^Etat.  56. 

ward  I  could  not  make  out.  She  must  have  gotten  a  streak  of 
more  favorable  wind,  but  we  came  fast  up  with  her.  Captain  Waite 
"whipped  up,"  and  to  his  great  satisfaction  passed  her  to  windward 
at  four  ^'clock  and  hoisted  the  "  star  spangled  banner,"  which  was 
returned  by  the  "Charlemagne."  This  is  certainly  very  interesting, 
and  proves  the  perfection  of  the  art  of  navigation.  Here  were 
two  ships,  starting  together  from  New  York,  after  three  days  sailing 
nearly  five  hundred  miles,  in  gales  of  wind,  come  in  sight  of  each 
other  so  near  that  every  person  on  board  can  be  distinguished  and 
almost  hear  each  other's  voices.  The  "Charlemagne  "  sails  fast,  but 
we  have  certainly  beaten  her  handsomely.  It  was  a  glorious  sight, 
when  we  were  abreast  of  her,  and  saw  her  swelling  canvas — royals, 
studding-sails  and  all  —  and  her  bright,  high  sides,  rising  from  the 
waves  like  a  walled  city  and  plunging  again  into  the  glittering  abyss 
of  waters. 

July  28. — At  four  o'clock  we  were  called  from  dinner  to  see  a 
large  ship  which  was  nearly  abreast  of  us  to  windward.  She  proved 
to  be  the  ship  "  Kensington  "  from  Liverpool  bound  to  New  York. 
The  passengers  exchanged  cheers,  and  the  captain  might  as  well 
have  come  down  to  speak  to  us  as  not.  We  were  as  close  to  the 
wind  as  the  ship  could  possibly  steer,  and,  of  course,  could  not  have 
gone  nearer.  This  appears  to  have  been  excessively  churlish.  It 
would  have  been  a  great  satisfaction  to  us  to  hear  news,  but  a  much 
greater  to  send  our  greetings  to  those  dear  ones  we  had  left  at 
home.  But  the  "  Lexington  "  cannot  well  avoid  reporting  us  on 
her  arrival,  and  our  friends  will  know  that  on  this  day,  twelve  days 
out,  we  have  made  about  two-thirds  of  our  voyage. 

It  was  a  glorious  sight  to  witness  these  two  splendid  ships  pas- 
sing each  other,  both  close-hauled,  on  different  tacks.  The  "  Ken- 
sington" rose  and  sank  on  the  waves  with  the  majesty  of  the  eagle 
and  the  calmness  of  the  swallow.  This  is  always  an  interesting  in- 
cident on  a  voyage,  but  there  was  something  more  beautiful  in  this 
view  than  in  any  of  the  kind  I  have  ever  witnessed. 

July  29.  —  We  have  two  ladies,  passengers,  who  exemplify  the 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  2  1/ 

two  extremes  in  the  American  female  character.  Mrs.  May,  of 
Boston,  is  a  regular  Yankee,  quick  of  apprehension,  intelligent, 
handy,  self-confident,  a  person  qualified  to  take  care  of  herself  in 
every  situation  in  which  circumstances  could  place  her.  She  is  (I 
undertake  to  say)  in  all  respects  a  helpmate  to  her  husband. 
Mrs.  Hammond  is  soft,  languishing,  and  inert,  and  her  listlessness 
of  manner  proclaiming  her  at  once  a  South  Carolinean,  with  more 
feminine  loveliness  than  the  lady  just  described.  She  appears  to 
be  incapable  of  the  least  exertion,  and  would  starve,  I  verily  believe, 
if  she  had  nobody  to  help  her  to  food.  She  and  her  husband  (who 
is  a  member  of  Congress  from  South  Carolina)  lounge  all  day  on 
sofas  in  the  cabin  and  a  mattress  on  deck,  and  neither  of  them 
have  been  at  the  table  during  the  voyage,  except  once  that  the  lady 
made  an  effort  and  dined  with  the  passengers.  This  may  be 
accounted  for  by  the  bad  health  of  both  the  husband .  and  wife. 
But  Mrs.  May  would  require  to  be  a  great  deal  worse  than  either 
before  she  would  consent  to  give  up.  There  does  not  seem  to  be 
much  congeniality  between  these  two  ladies.  There  is  too  much 
dissimilarity  in  their  habits  and  dispositions  to  admit  of  it.  The 
one  must  despise  the  other  for  her  business-like  qualities,  and  she 
in  return  wonders  how  a  lady  can  submit  to  be  served  by  slaves  in 
matters  which  she  ought  herself  to  attend  to.  My  daughter 
Margaret,  from  having  been  brought  up  on  neutral  ground,  is 
nearer  right  in  those  particulars  than  either,  and  I  am  greatly  mis- 
taken if  all  the  passengers  are  not  of  the  same  opinion. 

July  31.  —  I  arose  early  and  went  upon  deck.  It  was  a  fine 
morning ;  the  ship  sailing  ten  knots  an  hour ;  the  sea  bright  and 
blue,  with  that  sort  of  crispness  in  the  curling  of  the  waves  and  the 
sparkling  of  the  white  foam  which  is  usually  a  concomitant  of 
westerly  wind.  We  shall  make  a  better  run  during  this  twenty- four 
hours  than  any  since  we  left  New  York.  Captain  Waite  says  she 
sailed  faster  during  the  night  than  he  ever  saw  her  before,  and  he 
thinks  her  the  fastest  sailer  in  the  American  merchant  navy. 

Why  is  it  that  the  Sabbath  morning  always  appears  more  solemn 


2l8  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

to  me  than  any  other  ?  There  are  many  things  on  shore  to  pro(Uice 
that  effect.  The  hum  of  business  is  hushed  ;  the  streets  deserted  ; 
the  world  reposes  in  a  sort  of  conventional  quietude,  but  here  on 
the  ocean  there  are  no  such  marks  to  denote  the  return  of  the  day 
of  rest ;  and  yet  when  I  went  on  deck  this  morning  I  felt  myself 
influenced  by  the  consciousness  that  this  day  was  set  apart  from 
the  others,  and  that  I  was  enjoined  "  to  keep  it  holy."  It  is 
indeed  a  holy  institution.  No  man  who  acknowledges  a  depend- 
ence upon  the  Almighty  Governor  of  the  universe  can  avoid  feel- 
ing that  upon  this  day  of  rest  he  is  more  immediately  brought  in 
the  presence  of  his  Maker.  I  hope  I  do  not  mistake  my  own  sen- 
sations, and  attribute  to  an  innate  principle  of  right  the  conscious- 
ness that  one  cannot  help  feeling  of  helplessness  and  reliance  upon 
the  Almighty  when  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  a  sea  voyage,  but  I 
certainly  felt  this  morning  my  mind  elevated  by  the  knowledge 
that  this  was  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord.  At  the  request  of  the 
passengers,  I  read  the  morning  service  of  our  church,  and  I  trust 
the  manner  was  not  less  acceptable  for  the  reflections  of  the  morn- 
ing, the  result  of  which  I  have  given  above. 

Our  accommodations  are  excellent.  The  most  abundant  pro- 
vision has  been  made,  and  we  have  every  day  as  good  a  table  as 
the  most  fastidious  gastronome  could  desire.  A  sheep  and  a  pig 
were  killed  last  evening,  and  plenty  of  poultry ;  and  our  larder 
presents  a  most  inviting  appearance.  The  passengers  are  good- 
humoured,  accommodating,  and  jovial,  and  if  I  were  not  anxious  to 
see  my  children  I  should  not  have  any  great  objection  to  prolong 
our  voyage  a  week  beyond  the  time  at  which  we  may  expect  to 
arrive,  if  the  wind  hold  on. 

August  3.  — At  noon,  however,  the  wind  died  away,  and  it  became 
perfectly  calm  and  continued  so  during  the  remainder  of  the  day.  Not 
a  breath  of  air  was  stirring  to  agitate  the  sails,  and  the  waters  of  the 
variable  Channel  were  smooth  as  a  mirror.  Oh,  for  a  steamboat  at 
such  a  time  !  Genius  of  Fulton  !  if  ever  thou  art  dear  to  the  mem- 
ory of  thy  countrymen  it  must  be  when,  at  the  close  of  a  long 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  219 

voyage,  they  become  suddenly  becalmed  within  a  few  hours  of  the 
port  of  their  destination.  Wind  and  sails  are  nothing  now  com- 
pared to  steam  and  paddles,  and  we  had  the  mortification  of  real- 
izing this  fact  this  afternoon,  by  seeing  a  large  steamer  (I  am  in 
England  now,  and  must  talk  as  the  English  talk)  puffing  and 
wheezing  and  smoking  rapidly  on  her  course  towards  the  Irish 
shore,  while  we  were  flapping  and  rolling  and  making  no  headway. 

August  6.  —  And  I  once  more  set  my  foot  upon  English  ground. 

BooTLE,  Sunday,  Aug.  7.  —  Mr.  Heyworth  took  us  to  town  this 
morning,  where  we  attended  divine  service  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Blind  Asylum,  which  is  the  fashionable  church.  We  sat  in  Mr. 
Brown's  pew.  Coming  out  of  church  T^Ir.  William  Rathbone 
brought  Capt.  Basil  Hall  to  shake  hands  with  us.  He  and  his  wife 
both  expressed  themselves  in  the  following  terms  :  "  We  are  happy 
to  see  again  a  gentleman  to  whose  kindness  in  America  we  are  so 
greatly  indebted."  Pretty  well,  considering  Mr.  Rathbone  asked 
me  to  meet  Captain  Hall  yesterday  at  dinner  at  his  house.  After 
paying  a  few  visits  in  town,  we  returned  to  dine  and  sleep  at 
Bootle.  I  am  charmed  with  all  I  see  here.  Our  sweet  friend, 
Charlotte  Kane,  has  gotten  a  charming  fellow  for  a  husband. 

Liverpool,  Aug.  12.  —  Having  been  honoured  by  an 
Trnvriiaif^  invitation  from  the  mayor  to  meet  the  judges  at  dinner, 
]\Ir.  Rathbone  called  for  me  at  seven  o'clock,  and  we 
went  to  the  Town  Hall.  The  doors  of  my  hotel  (The  Waterloo) 
were  beset  by  a  crowd  to  see  the  egress  of  the  high  sheriff,  a  splen- 
did, fierce-looking  fellow,  in  full  dress,  with  chapeau  bras 
and  a  long  black  wand.  He  rode  in  a  superb  stage  coach-and- 
four,  with  two  dashing  postilions.  This  gentleman's  name  is 
Standish  of  Standish  Hall,  a  person  of  large  fortune  and  high 
standing  in  the  County  of  Lancashire.  When  we  alighted  at  the 
door  of  the  Council  Hall,  we  were  ushered  by  a  train  of  servants  in 
livery,  by  the  beautiful  staircase  and  vestibule  to  the  splendid 
suite  of  rooms  in  which  the  mayor  received  his  guests,  the  rich 
furniture   being    unco\-crcJ    and    everything  arranged    to  suit    the 


220  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  56. 

occasion.  The  coup  cVccil  was  perfectly  magnificent.  The  ball- 
room, with  the  splendid  chandeliers,  was  not  in  the  dining  part  of 
the  palace,  but  I  was  taken  to  see  it. 

My  reception  by  the  mayor  (Mr.  Corrie)  was  not  only  flattering 
but  marked  by  extreme  kindness,  and  the  judges,  Mr.  Justice  Park 
and  Mr.  Justice  Coleridge,  to  whom  I  was  introduced  immediately 
on  their  arrival,  were  particular  in  their  attentions  to  me  during  the 
whole  of  the  evening.  The  company  consisted  of  about  fifty  gentle- 
men, principally  members  of  Parliament,  country  gendemen,  and 
barristers  connected  with  the  assizes  which  are  now  being  held. 
A  ISIr.  Alexander  seemed  to  be  considered  the  most  eminent 
lawyer  in  the  company.  The  courts,  both  criminal  and  civil,  are 
open  at  the  same  time,  Justice  Park  presiding  in  the  former  and 
Justice  Coleridge  in  the  latter. 

The  dinner-table  was  richly  set  out  with  a  splendid  plateau  the 
whole  length,  and  the  services  of  china  and  glass  suited  to  a 
banquet  of  kings,  and  as  good  a  dinner,  too,  as  I  ever  saw.  Turtle 
soup,  turbot,  grouse  (this  is  the  first  day  for  shooting  them),  and  a 
great  variety  of  pine-apples  and  peaches,  were  among  the  varieties, 
and  the  wines  were  capital.  I  was  seated  on  the  right  of  the 
mayor,  next  but  two.  One  of  the  judges  sat  on  each  side  of  him, 
next  on  the  right  the  high  sheriff,  and  then  myself.  This  latter 
dignitary  and  myself  were  soon  good  friends,  and  he  pressed  me 
with  great  apparent  sincerity  to  visit  him  in  London.  These  folk 
seem  much  pleased  to  come  in  contact  with  a  Yankee. 

August  13.  —  Our  first  visit  was  to  this  princely 
chatsworth.  mansiou  and  grounds.  I  do  not  know  how  to  describe 
it.  It  surpasses  the  highest  reach  of  my  imagination. 
Eton  Hall  is,  I  think,  a  handsome  exterior,  but  the  grandeur,  the 
sublimity,  the  solid  magnificence  of  Chatsworth,  induce  me  to  give 
it  a  preference.  It  stands  rather  low,  embosomed  in  an  amphi- 
theatre of  hills,  with  the  river  Derwent  passing  close  to  the  walls. 
The  view  from  every  part  of  the  grounds  is  beautiful.  This  is  one 
particular  in  which  it  has  the  advantage  of  Eton  ;     then  there  are 


1S36J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  221 

a  nu  Tiber  of  fountains  and  cascades,  supplied  by  resen^oirs  on  the 
adjacent  mountain,  all  of  which  were  made  to  play  for  us.  One  of 
these  is  a  tree,  which  looks  so  much  like  nature  that  it  did  not 
attract  my  attention,  until  all  of  a  sudden,  hundreds  of  jets  from 
the  ends  of  the  branches  began  a  spirited  cross-fire  which  made 
us  jump  with  surprise.  The  Italian  Gardens  below  the  terraces 
are  beautiful.  Herds  of  red  and  fallow  deer  are  seen  sporting 
over  the  grounds,  and  the  conservatories  and  hot-houses  and 
stables  are  all  fine. 

The  next  object  of  curiosity  was  a  visit  across  the 
Haddoniiaii.  Country  four  or  five  miles  to  Haddon  Hall,  an  old 
baronial  castle  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Rutland. 
The  contrast  between  this  and  the  place  we  had  just  left  was  singu- 
larly striking.  This  was  erected  before  the  Conquest,  and  displays 
all  the  rude,  grotesque  style  of  architecture  of  those  days  of  feudal 
power.  Towers  and  turrets,  covered  with  the  ivy  of  ages.  The 
banqueting  hall,  kitchens,  with  fireplaces  in  which  wild  boar  and 
the  red  deer  were  roasted  whole  for  the  iron-handed  baron  and  his 
faithful  dependents ;  the  armory,  the  dungeons,  and  the  antiquated 
bed-chambers  hung  with  tapestry,  the  figures  of  which  resemble 
nothing  in  the  heavens  above  nor  in  the  earth  beneath,  —  are  all 
preserved  in  spite  of  the  ravages  of  time,  to  show  Englishmen  how 
their  fathers  lived  a  thousand  years  ago. 

We  visited  this  ancient  place  at  a  -peculiarly  favorable  time  :  at 
the  close  of  such  a  day  as  the  poets  of  England  delight  to  describe, 
when  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  throw  the  long,  deep  shadows 
of  the  moss-covered  turrets  and  lofty  pines  over  the  bright  green 
sward,  and  the  beautiful  river  crept  silently  along,  as  if  afraid  to 
disturb  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  scene.  It  was  an  incident  of 
my  life  never  to  be  forgotten  to  have  seen  Chatsworth  and  Haddon 
Hall  on  the  same  afternoon. 

Le.\mington,  Aug.  16.  —  Warwick  is  handsome,  clean,  and  dull 
as  ever,  but  the  castle  is  even  more  glorious  than  my  recollections 
of  it.     Its  situation,  the  views  up  and  down  the  Avon  ;  its  ancient 


222  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [-'Et  it.  56. 

towers,  lofty  hall,  superb  wainscotted  apartments ;  the  venc  rable 
trees  in  the  park ;  and  the  Warwick  vase,  the  beau  ideal  of  beauty, 
are  all  there  in  their  former  state,  and  some  of  the  apartments 
(particularly  the  great  hall  of  entrance  and  the  dining-hall)  have 
been  recently  repaired,  and  the  ornaments  retouched  with  great 
taste  and  delicacy.  The  part  of  Warwick  Castle  which  most 
exceeded  the  recollection  of  my  former  visit  is  the  pictures,  which 
ornament  the  walls  in  every  part ;  this  arises  probably  from  my 
having  more  taste  for  pictures  now  than  at  that  time. 

London,  Aug.  iS. — The  forenoon  of  this  day  was  passed  in 
visiting  some  of  the  most  interesting  objects  in  Oxford,  the  glorious 
metropolis  of  learning  and  literature.  It  was  delightful  for  me  to 
refresh  my  recollections  of  this  magnificent  city.  This  day's  visit 
has  realized  all  I  have  thought  and  said  of  it  since  I  was  there 
before. 

At  seven  o'clock  this  evening,  just  as  they  were  lighting  the  gas 
lamps,  we  were  set  down  at  the  famous  White  Horse  Cellar,  Picca- 
dilly; amidst  coaches  innumerable,  lords  and  chimney  sweeps, 
ladies  and  blacklegs.  Our  luggage  was  placed  in  one  of  those  de- 
testable vehicles,  a  hackney  coach,  in  which  we  came  to  Mrs. 
Friedman's  boarding-house.  A  comfortable  establishment,  No.  1 2 
Devonshire  street,  one  door  west  of  Portland  place. 

August  20. —  Having  been  introduced  yesterday  to 
'^'"°  Lord  Palmerston,  the    minister  for  foreign  affairs,  he 

Parliament.  '  °  ' 

politely  sent  orders  to  Mr.  Duer  and  me  to  go  into  the 
House  of  Lords  to  witness  the  prorogation  of  Parliament  by  the 
King  in  person,  and  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  very  good 
places.  The  ceremony  was  very  interesting  to  me,  and  the  specta- 
cle exceedingly  magnificent.  The  attendance  of  the  lords  was 
greater  than  I  expected.  I  saw  several  distinguished  noblemen, 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  Duke  of  Wellington,  Duke  of  Nor- 
folk, Lords  Melbourne,  Westminster,  etc.,  in  all  I  think  nearly  a 
hundred.  A  great  attendance  of  foreign  ministers  and  a  handsome 
display  of  ladies  elegantly  dressed.     The  king  arrived  at  half-past 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILIP   IIOXE.  223 

two  o'clock,  attended  by  a  numerous  and  brilliant  cortege,  and 
ascended  the  throne.  He  is  much  altered  in  appearance  since  I  saw 
him  at  the  coronation  of  his  brother.  He  was  then  a  stout  man 
and  walked  erect ;  he  is  now  old  and  bent,  with  a  tottering  gait, 
and  has  all  the  marks  of  advanced  age.  The  young  Princess 
Victoria  will  not,  from  his  appearance,  have  long  to  wait  for  her 
exalted  inheritance.  As  soon  as  the  king  was  seated,  the  Commons 
were  summoned,  the  Speaker  (Abercombie)  read  the  address  in  a 
very  clear  and  distinct  tone  of  voice,  so  that,  notwithstanding,  from 
his  situation  under  the  gallery,  I  could  not  see  him,  I  did  not  lose  a 
word.  The  king  then  read  his  speech,  with  a  little  prompting, 
which  I  also  heard  distinctly.  Parliament  was  then  prorogued 
until  October,  and  the  king  retired  as  he  came,  amidst  a  discharge 
of  artillery  and  the  sound  of  trumpets.  We  got  out  in  time  to  see 
the  procession  leave  the  House.  The  stage  coaches,  with  the  horse 
and  foot  guards,  made  a  grand  appearance,  and  everything  went  off 
well.  I  should  have  regretted  exceedingly  not  to  have  witnessed 
this  splendid  pageant. 

The  manner  of  announcing  the  king's  assent  to  the  several  bills 
is  very  singular,  and  the  bows  "of  the  clerks  in  their  robes  and  wigs, 
and  the  formal,  quaint  "  ie  roi  le  veuf''  which  accompanies  each, 
had  a  ludicrous  effect  to  such  of  us  as  had  not  before  witnessed  the 
ceremony. 

^^'e  paid  a  few  visits  before  dinner,  which  does  not  take  place 
until  six  o'clock,  one  of  which  to  Mrs.  Jameson,  the  authoress  of 
"  Characteristics  of  Women,"  gave  me  great  pleasure.  This  gifted 
lady  is  to  sail  for  New  York  next  month  to  meet  her  husband  who 
has  a  legal  appointment  in  Upper  Canada. 

August  21. —  Margaret,  Mr.  Duer,  and  I  went  to  pass  the  even- 
ing with  Mrs.  Jameson,  where  we  met  our  kind  and  attentive 
friends,  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson,  and  other  nice  persons,  amongst 
whom  was  an  old  lady  seventy-two  years  of  age,  Lady  George 
Murray,  and  her  daughter,  disting'iished  equally  for  rank  and 
talents,  preceptress   and  governess  of  the   Princess  Charlotte,  the 


224  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  56. 

lamented  "  rose  and  fair  expectancy  of  the  state."  The  young 
lady  is  the  bosom  friend  of  Lady  Noel  Byron,  the  widow  of  the 
immortal  roue  poet.  I  talked  much  with  her  on  the  subject  of 
their  separation.  She  describes  Lady  B.  as  a  perfect  angel,  and 
although  it  may  be  necessary  to  make  some  allowances  for  the  ex- 
aggeration of  warm  female  friendship,  the  high  character  and  intel- 
ligence of  Miss  Murray  forbids  the  possibility  of  her  coming  to  very 
erroneous  opinions  on  a  subject  so  important  and  so  much  disputed. 
Lady  Byron  mixes  very  little  in  society,  but  is  much  engaged  in 
doing  good. 

August  23.  —  I  took  Margaret  this  morning  to  Westminster 
Abbey.  She  was  much  pleased,  and  I  experienced  anew  and  in  a 
greater  degree  the  awe  and  pleasure  which  the  first  view  of  this 
sublime  and  interesting  edifice  occasioned  me. 

This  has  been  a  busy  day.  Mr.  Duer  and  I  went  to  breakfast 
with  Mr.  Rogers,  the  poet,  an  agreeable,  kind-hearted  old  gentle- 
man. He  is  very  rich,  although  a  poet,  and  lives  in  handsome 
style ;  has  a  fine  collection  of  pictures  and  other  pretty  things. 
After  we  left  him  he  sent  me  a  beautiful  copy  of  his  poems  with 
illustrated  vignettes. 

Dover,  Aug.  30.  —  We  left  London  at  eleven  o'clock  on  the  top 
of  the  Dover  coach.  There  was  a  crowd  about  the  door,  attracted 
by  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  carriage.  He  appears  to  be  popular 
here  at  any  rate,  whatever  the  London  radicals  may  think  of  him. 
August  31.  —  Colonel  Cockburn  introduced  me  this 
^^"^ '"^  morning  to  Colonel  Arnold,  commander  of  engineers 

Arnold.  o  '  o 

and  of  the  garrison  at  Dover.  This  gentleman  is  son 
of  the  infamous  Benedict  Arnold.  He  appears  about  my  age ;  a 
short,  handy  little  man,  and  apparently  a  gentlemen  of  good  man- 
ners. It  seems  to  be  hard  to  apply  the  severity  of  the  Levitical  law 
to  innocent  men  in  these  enlightened  times,  but  I  felt,  v/hile  in  his 
company,  as  if  my  prejudice  was  busied  in  "  visiting  the  sins  of  the 
father  upon  the  child." 

Paris,  Sept.  3.  —  We  started  much  earlier  than  yesterday,  and 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  225 

having  less  distance  to  go,  arrived  in  Paris  at  eight  o'clock  P.M., 
and  came  to  lodge  at  the  boarding-house  of  Madame  Bonfils, 
superbly  situated  in  Rue  de  Rivoli,  opposite  the  gardens  of  the 
Tuilleries,  of  which  I  have  a  fine  view  from  my  chamber  windows. 
Soon  after  we  came,  a  storm  of  thunder  and  rain  announced  to  the 
people  of  Paris  that  we  had  arrived. 

Sunday,  Sept.  ii.  —  Horse  race  at  the  Champs  de  Mars  at  one 
o'clock,  and  afterward  to  the  fete  of  St.  Cloud.  I  am  ashamed  to 
record  it,  Sunday  as  it  was  ;  but  what  is  to  be  done  ?  If  such  scenes 
are  witnessed  at  all  it  must  be  on  the  day  which  Christians  call 
Sabbath.  We  intended  to  go  to  church  this  morning  to  hear  an 
eloquent  Protestant  clergyman,  Mr.  Athan6se  Coquerel,  who  is 
preaching  in  the  churches  of  our  faith  at  present ;  but  until  one 
o'clock  it  rained  very  hard,  notwithstanding  which  the  races  took 
place,  and  the  queen  and  royal  family  were  there,  and  a  tolerable 
concourse  of  people.  It  stopped  raining  at  one  o'clock,  and  the 
men  came  out ;  but  the  course  and  all  the  grounds  around  were  an 
ocean  of  mud.  The  horses  running  looked  like  the  wizard  horse 
of  Leonora,  only  their  halo  was  of  a  less  luminous  nature.  We 
came  away  after  the  first  two  heats,  and  pursued  our  way  to  St. 
Cloud.  A  horse  race  in  Paris  is  not  by  any  means  the  same  thing 
as  an  English  one,  nor  even  one  of  ours.  I  do  not  think  it  a 
favourite  amusement  of  the  French.  It  is  the  only  one  which  does 
not  appear  to  excite  them.  lis  sont  gais  a  la  messe,  et  grave  a  la 
course.  The  principal  race  to-day  was  won  by  a  horse  of  the  Due 
d'Orl^ans,  beating  Lord  Seymour,  who  has  been  in  the  constant 
habit  of  carrying  away  the  purses  from  the  natives.  One  would 
have  thought  there  was  something  exhilarating  in  this,  but  there 
was  no  shouting,  no  triumph  amongst  the  men,  or  flashing  of  bright 
eyes  amongst  the  women. 

The  weather  by  this  time  had  cleared,  and  the  sun  came  out 
bright,  so  that  when  we  arrived  at  St.  Cloud  the  immense  little 
world  was  congregating  fast.  Men,  women,  and  children  in  their 
newest  finery  crowding  to  the  long  avenue,  in  which  booths  are 


226  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Elat.  56. 

erected.  Such  chattering,  such  a  variety  of  queer  noises,  such 
singular  exhibitions,  so  many  lures  to  attract  customers  to  buy 
their  wares,  to  witness  their  spectacles,  or  to  eat  their  pat^s,  were 
almost  an  excuse  to  break  the  Sabbath  for  once  to  visit  the/^/^ 
de  St.  Cloud.  I  shall  not  probably  see  another.  We  passed  the 
first  hour  in  viewing  the  apartments  of  the  palace ;  the  state 
apartments  are  open  to  everybody  on  Sunday.  These  we  saw,  of 
course,  but  were  further  permitted  to  pass  through  all  the  other 
apartments.  Nothing  can  be  more  magnificent ;  the  pictures  are 
exceedingly  fine,  and  there  are  several  vases  of  Sevres  porcelain 
superb  beyond  imagination. 

I  remember  that  the  king's  bed,  and  those  of  all  the  family, 
even  the  princesses,  are  hard  mattresses,  a  few  inches  thick,  with 
no  paillaisses,  and  the  bedsteads  only  about  a  foot  from  the  floor. 

The  French  are  certainly  Sabbath-breakers,  and  their  religious 
habits  do  not  set  as  close  as  ours,  but  one  thing  I  will  remark  in 
their  praise  :  In  all  this  concourse  of  people  to-day,  formed  prin- 
cipally of  the  lower  classes,  assembled  for  pastime  and  enjoyment, 
when  eatables  of  all  kinds  were  exhibited,  such  as  cakes,  hot 
waffles,  pat^s,  etc.,  I  did  not  see  a  drop  of  spirituous  liquor,  nor  do 
I  believe  there  was  one  on  the  ground.  No  drink  but  lemonade, 
carried  about  by  old  women  who  carry  as  much  acidity  in  their 
faces  as  on  their  backs. 

September  12.  —  Having  determined  to  leave  Paris  for  Geneva 
to-morrow,  we  have  been  employed  in  making  preparations.  Mr. 
Chazournes  and  I  went  in  pursuit  of  a  carriage,  and  succeeded  in 
getting  a  commodious  travelling  calleche  of  a  Mr.  Panhard,  Rue 
Bergue,  for  which  I  am  to  pay  him  two  hundred  francs.  We  take 
post  horses,  and  go  by  the  Dijon  route  across  the  Jura  mountain. 
George  W.  Lafayette  is  in  town.  I  did  not  know  it  until  yester- 
day, when  I  called  and  left  my  card.  I  received  a  note  from  him 
this  morning  stating  that  he  was  engaged  with  lawyers  to-day  in  an 
affair  of  family  business,  but  would  be  with  me  to-morrow.  This 
I  interdicted,  and  requested  him  to  postpone  his  visit  until  after 
our  return. 


1S36.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  227 

Well,  I  have  seen  Taliogni.  She  danced  this  evening  at  the 
French  Opera,  in  the  ballet  of  the  Sylphide.  It  was  a  single  per- 
formance, and,  fortunately,  fell  upon  our  last  night  in  Paris.  The 
immense  theatre  was  crowded  in  every  part.  Bradford  obtained 
excellent  places  for  us  in  the  course  of  the  day.  The  opera  was 
the  "Siege  of  Corinth,"  which,  did  not  interest  me  ;  but  the  ballet 
was  certainly  the  poetry  of  motion  and  the  sunlight  of  beauty. 
I  never  saw  anything  of  the  kind  before  which  is  not  routed  horse 
and  foot  out  of  my  recollection  by  the  force  of  this  fascinating 
spectacle.  Not  only  the  calypso  of  the  night,  but  her  attendant 
nymphs  all  danced  and  moved  and  floated  like  beings  of  another 
world.  The  piece  is  exactly  the  same  as  that  gotten  up  in  New 
York  as  an  opera  when  Mrs.  Austin  was  there,  under  the  name  of 
the  "  Mountain  Sylph  "  ;  but,  fortunately,  there  was  no  singing  or 
speaking  here.  It  would  have  been  too  much,  when  one  of  our 
senses  was  completely  absorbed,  to  have  another  invaded,  and  in 
danger  of  being  captured  ;  it  might  have  ended  in  nonsense.  The 
whole  affair  was  so  nicely  managed,  the  machinery  worked  so 
Well,  the  sylphs  flew  in  the  air,  as  if  their  little  delicate  feet  had 
never  touched  the  ground,  and  when  their  lovely  sister  died,  four 
of  them  enveloped  her  in  a  net  of  gold  and,  each  taking  a  corner, 
flew  up  with  her  into  the  air,  where,  I  take  it  for  granted,  the 
Sylphic  Pere  la  Chaise  is  situated.  Or,  perhaps,  the  beauteous 
beings  of  their  race,  when  defunct,  are  taken  up  to  exhale  in  the 
regions  above,  and  return  to  us  in  the  form  of  dew-drops  to 
sparkle  on  the  leaves  of  the  newly  blown  rose,  or  hide  in  the  vel- 
vet recesses  of  the  fragrant  violet.  Taliogni  is  small,  delicate,  and, 
I  think,  pretty,  and  her  dancing  excels  that  of  any  other  woman 
as  much  as  Mrs.  Wood's  singing  does  Mrs.  Sharp's.  It  is  not  only 
in  great  agility  and  dexterity,  but  it  is  the  perfection  of  grace  and 
beauty,  and  addresses  itself  to  the  imagination,  as  it  is,  in  fact,  half 
the  time  something  between  earth  and  heaven.  When  this  pleas- 
ant affair  was  ended,  we  went  to  Tortoni's  and  took  our  ices. 
This  is  the  most  fashionable  house  in  Paris. 


228  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.56. 

En  Route,  Sept.  13.  —  We  left  Paris  this  morning  in  our  car- 
riage, with  a  number  of  little  comforts,  and  put  ourselves  fairly  en 
route  for  Geneva.  The  weather  was  bad ;  it  rained  with  short 
intervals  during  the  day,  and  the  uninteresting  country  through 
which  we  passed,  rendered  more  gloomy  by  the  dark  clouds  which 
hung  over  it,  and  the  cheerless,  uncomfortable  villages,  with  more 
mud  and  dirt  even  than  usual,  gave  us  frequent  occasion  to  laugh  at 
the  absurdity  of  the  application  of  the  term  "  la  belle  France  "  to 
such  a  country.  It  is  worse  in  every  particular  than  when  I  was 
here  before,  and  we  are  travelling  through  the  very  heart  of  France, 
and  its  most  celebrated  provinces.  Formerly  the  cheapness  of  liv- 
ing in  the  country  was  more  commensurable  with  its  value  (I  speak 
not  of  Paris)  ;  but  now  the  extortion,  the  cheating  of  all  kinds 
with  which  the  traveller  comes  in  contact,  is  greater  than  in  Eng- 
land, and  you  are  not  so  well  served.  The  porter  at  Madame  Bon- 
fils  made  a  regular  charge  of  fifteen  sous  for  every  trifling  errand 
he  performed  for  me.  At  one  of  the  towns,  this  evening,  I  sent 
a  boy  for  two  candles  to  put  in  the  lamps  of  the  carriage.  The 
young  rascal  said  they  cost  him  a  franc,  and  I  had  to  pay  him  ten 
sous  for  his  trouble.  It  is  so  in  everything.  There  is  a  gang  of 
female  harpies  stationed  in  the  lobbies  of  all  the  theatres  in  Paris 
to  prey  upon  strangers.  I  suffer  from  being  prima  facie  a  John 
Bull,  and  he  is  fair  game  in  France.  They  have  a  double  motive  in 
swindling  him  :  their  cupidity  and  the  dislike  they  bear  to  him. 
France  is  fattening  upon  the  food  she  loathes.  These  polite,  disin- 
terested ladies  make  me  pay  twenty  sous  for  opening  the  box  door, 
and  demand  the  same  sum  for  a  little  programme  which  is  sold  at 
the  door  for  three  sous. 

Geneva,  Sept.  17.  —  This  place  is  filled  with  English  and  Amer- 
icans. Our  hotel  is  the  fashionable  resort  of  the  latter,  of  whom 
there  were  thirty-four  a  few  days  since.  There  are  now  here,  be- 
sides our  party,  Abraham  Schermerhorn  and  family,  Mr.  George 
Ticknor  and  family,  of  Boston ;  Horace  Binney,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Otis ;  General  Jones,  Charles  McEvers,  Mr. 


1S36.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  229 

and  Mrs.  BrinkerhofT,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashurst,  of  Philadelphia ; 
Charles  C.  King  and  his  brother,  James  T.  Irving,  Jr.,  Mr.  Whit- 
ney, the  Rev.  Henry  Morton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hammond,  our  fellow- 
passengers  in  the  "  England,"  and  others,  perhaps,  whom  I  have 
not  met.  From  my  recollection  of  what  Geneva  was  like  when  I 
was  here  before,  I  was  surprised,  until  I  came  now,  that  it  should 
be  made  a  place  of  so  great  resort.  It  was  then  a  dull,  confined 
place  with  dirty,  narrow  streets,  and  nothing  but  the  beautiful  lake 
to  recommend  it.  I  find  it  now  a  splendid,  agreeable  town  ;  streets 
of  handsome  houses  have  been  erected  on  grounds  which  were  for- 
merly the  marshy  shores  of  the  lake,  and  the  course  of  the  clear, 
blue,  rushing  waters  is  confined  in  massive  stone  docks,  with  a 
splendid  bridge  ;  a  pretty  island  has  been  formed,  in  which  is  a 
bronze  statue  of  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau ;  spacious  public  gardens 
ornament  the  part  of  the  town  remote  from  the  lake.  Immense 
hotels  have  been  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the  hosts  of 
travellers  who  pass  through  on  their  way  to  Italy,  and  the  whole 
has  an  air  of  splendor  and  gayety  which  must  surprise  the  rigid, 
formal  descendants  of  the  reformers  of  John  Calvin's  severe  days. 

I  am  here  with  my  three  daughters  and  son-in-law,  and  sur- 
rounded by  friends  and  acquaintances,  my  window  overlooking  the 
brightest  blue  waters  the  sun  ever  shone  upon  (except,  perhaps, 
those  of  Lake  George)  ;  splendid  new  edifices  on  the  one  hand  and 
the  green  shore  of  the  lake,  with  a  majestic  perspective  of  snow- 
clad  mountains,  on  the  other.  I  think  I  may  say  with  the  patriarch 
of  old,  "  It  is  well  to  be  here."  One  look  put  of  Mary's  bright  eyes 
(and  oh  !  how  much  brighter  than  I  expected  to  see  them),  with 
her  whole  heart  mixed  up  with  mine,  conspire  to  render  the  few 
days  of  my  sojourn  in  Geneva  among  the  happiest  of  my  life  —  but 
how  to  get  away  ! 

The  English  swarm  so  on  the  Continent.  They  are  generally 
vulgar  people,  without  taste,  and  with  their  pockets  well  filled,  and 
the  French  and  Swiss  do  love  so  dearly  to  handle  their  money  that 
the  market  is  spoiled  for  us  Americans,  who  can  better  appreciate 


230  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILir   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

the  Vvilue  of  the  articles  offered  for  sale.  This  place  has  benefited 
more  by  the  intercourse  of  foreigners  than  any  on  the  Continent. 
It  is  on  the  direct  road  to  Italy,  and  so  pleasant  that  travellers  in 
transit  linger  here  as  long  as  possible,  besides  which,  many  pass  their 
summer  here,  and  several  English  families  have  delightful  villas  on 
the  banks  of  the  lake,  cultivated  so  much  in  the  English  style  that 
the  country  around  Geneva  has  greatly  the  appearance  of  England, 
which  makes  it  a  Paradise  compared  with  the  adjacent  country 
which  the  traveller  must  pass  to  reach  it.  This  all  comes  from 
John  Bull ;  the  substantial  stone  docks  and  lofty  edifices,  the  sight 
of  which  from  my  window  affords  me  so  much  pleasure,  are  all 
based  upon  English  guineas.  I  have  heard  it  estimated  that  four 
milUons  of  pounds  sterling  are  annually  spent  on  the  Continent,  and 
Geneva  gets  a  fair  share  of  it ;  the  Americans,  too,  are  spending  a 
great  deal  of  money  in  Europe,  and  unfortunately  there  is  no  reci- 
procity in  the  trade  (except  as  relates  to  England).  How  few  of 
the  dollars  which  we  expend  in  France,  Switzerland,  or  Italy,  ever 
find  their  way  back  again.  The  people  of  those  countries  do  go 
out  to  America  sometimes,  it  is  true,  but  for  what  ?  Not  to  enrich 
the  country,  but  themselves ;  to  carry  on  business  and  make  their 
fortunes,  if  they  can.  Latrobe  and  Pourtalais  and  a  few  others  are 
exceptions  to  these  remarks,  but  it  is  the  general  course  of  the 
business. 

September  24.  —  The  day  of  parting  arrived  at  last.  It  is 
amusing  to  see  how  shy  travellers  (the  English  particularly)  are  of 
each  other.  They  regard  fellow-travellers,  not  as  persons  thrown 
in  their  way,  whose  society  and  conversation  may  afford  pleasure 
and  instruction,  but  who  may  rob  them  of  their  breakfast,  or  antic- 
ipate the  post-horses.  How  different  in  our  country,  where 
travellers  meeting  on  the  road  ask  and  answer  questions,  give  and 
receive  information,  compare  notes,  and  often  form  agreeable  asso- 
ciations ;  and  these  Europeans  have  the  impudence  to  curl  their 
disgusting  mustaches  and  ridicule  those  amiable  traits  in  the  Amer- 
ican character.  Yankee  inquisitiveness  forsooth  1  that's  the  way  we 
come  to  know  so  much  more  than  they. 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  23 1 

FoNTAiNEBLE.\u,  Sept.  25.  —  We  were  en  route  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  wake  of  a  carriage  and  four  horses  with  a  Count  "  Quelque 
Chose,"  his  wife  and  child,  which  the  etiquette  of  the  road  forbade 
our  postilion  to  pass.  Whilst  we  were  changing  horses  at  Joigny,  I 
scraped  acquaintance  with  our  antecedent  count  (addressing  him 
first,  of  course),  and  found  him  a  sociable  little  man,  and  his  wife 
an  agreeable  person.  "  Don't,  father,"  said  Margaret,  but  I  was 
determined  to  give  him  a  specimen  of  Yankee  freedom  of  manners, 
and  quite  certain  am  I  that  neither  of  us  were  losers  by  the  exper- 
iment. We  travelled  in  company  all  day,  and  are  at  the  same 
hotel.  , 

Sunday  brings  no  holiday  for  France.  Everything  goes  on  the 
same  as  on  another  day ;  the  labors  of  the  husbandmen  are  not 
suspended ;  the  hammer  rests  not  on  the  anvil ;  the  shops  are 
open,  and  carts  loaded  with  wine  and  other  merchandise  pursue 
their  wonted  course  on  the  roads  where  workingmen  are  employed 
in  breaking  stone.  You  see  no  groups  of  well-dressed  people,  as 
in  England  and  our  own  blessed  land,  responding  willingly  to  the 
summons  of  the  cheerful  village  bell.  I  should  like  to  know  how 
this  suits  our  reverend  gentlemen  who  are  so  fond  of  visiting  the 
Continent  of  late  —  the  Springs  and  the  Wainwrights,  the  Taylors 
and  the  Mortons.  They  cannot  convert  the  Frenchmen,  that's 
certain.     I  suppose  they  pray  for  them. 

Paris,  October  3.  —  George  W.  Lafayette  made  us  a  long  visit 
this  morning.  He  came  in  town  last  evening  from  La  Grange.  The 
family  are  very  desirous  that  we  should  go  out  to  see  them,  but  our 
time  is  too  short  to  permit  it.  He  looks  very  well,  talked  much 
of  his  father,  and  gave  us  a  great  deal  of  information  about  the 
Trois  Jours,  the  trial  of  the  Carlist  ministry,  and  other  interesting 
events  in  which  the  general  and  himself  bore  conspicuous  parts. 
Our  meeting  was  quite  tender ;  the  style  of  greeting  was  somewhat 
amusing  to  Mr.  Ludlow,  and  Margaret.  We  kissed  each  other  on 
both  cheeks. 

Havre,  October  7. —  It  rained  with  little  intermission  all  the 


232  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

morning.  The  prospect  of  our  sailing  to-morrow  is  not  encourag- 
ing. We  went  on  board  the  ship,  the  "  Sylvie  de  Grasse,"  and  a 
splendid  ship  she  is.  My  bosom  swells  and  my  heart  warms  to  see 
my  beloved  stars  and  stripes  floating  over  vessels  in  this  port, 
superior  to  those  of  any  other  nation.  They  are  so  trim  and  neat, 
so  beautiful  and  yet  so  majestic ;  they  hold  the  same  station  in  the 
commercial  marine  which  their  nation  is  destined  to  hold  amongst 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  This  is  not  bravado  nor  prejudice,  every- 
thing tends  to  it,  and  I  do  "most  potently  believe  it." 

Havre,  October  10.  —  The  storm  continues  with  unabated 
violence,  and  we  are  still  detained 'in  this  triste  vestibule  of  "Az 
belle  France^  I  am  punished  now  for  having  occasionally  used 
this  term  when  I  wished  to  ingratiate  myself  with  Frenchmen  to 
whom  I  was  writing  or  talking.  We  have  certainly  found  nothing 
"belle''''  about  it,  except  Paris  and  two  or  three  of  the  royal  palaces. 
We  have  found  very  little  comfort  or  enjoyment.  French  poUte- 
ness  went  out  of  fashion  with  the  Bourbons,  and  "place  aux  etran- 
gers  "  means  nothing  more  now  than  a  struggle  amongst  all  classes 
and  professions  to  cheat  the  English  and  Americans  out  of  as  much 
money  as  possible.  The  best  thing  they  have  is  their  noble  king, 
and  his  amiable  family ;  and  Louis  Philippe  can  no  longer  go 
abroad  amongst  his  loyal  subjects  in  the  confidential  manner  to 
which  his  manly  frankness  would  prompt  him,  from  the  constant 
apprehension  that  some  vile  assassin  may  be  lying  in  wait  to  blow 
him  up  or  to  plant  the  parricidal  steel  in  his  bosom. 

I  repeat  that  France  is  not  the  country  which  I  formerly  knew. 
Perhaps  I  am  changed  myself.  The  eyes  of  fifty-six  may  not  see 
things  couleur  de  rose  like  those  of  forty ;  but  it  cannot  be,  I 
found  England  improved,  as  I  fancied,  and  I  know  of  no  reason 
for  my  being  prejudiced  in  my  preference.  My  opinion  may  be 
influenced,  too,  by  the  constant  bad  weather  I  have  experienced 
in  France.  I  think  there  has  not  been  a  day  since  I  crossed  the 
Channel  that  it  has  not  rained  some  part  of  the  time,  except  on 
those   five   delicious   ones  which   I   passed  with   my  children  in 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  233 

Geneva ;  then,  indeed,  the  heavens  seemed  to  smile  in  unison  with 
the  joyous  feelings  of  my  heart.  The  wind  here  blows  an  unrelent- 
ing hurricane  from  the  westward.  Oh,  for  one  of  those  north- 
easters which  have  so  often  caused  me  to  fret  while  at  home  ! 
Here  they  come  "with  healing  in  their  wings,"  if  ever  they  do 
come,  which  my  experience  causes  me  to  doubt. 

At  Sea,  October  12.  —  I  was  not  so  much  pleased  as  might 
have  been  expected,  when  we  were  summoned  on  board  the 
"Sylvie  de  Grasse"  this  morning;  for,  although  we  were  about 
to  be  released  from  our  tedious  detention,  the  prospect  was  not 
by  any  means  encouraging.  The  wind  had  changed  a  little  to  the 
southward,  but  the  sky  was  black  and  stormy  in  the  west,  and  there 
was  evidently  only  a  temporary  suspension  of  the  terrible  storm 
which  has  raged  for  a  long  time.  We  came  on  board  a  little 
before  noon,  and  the  ship  was  towed  out  of  the  narrow  harbour  by 
a  steam-boat.  By  the  time  the  pilot  left  us,  the  gale  recommenced 
with  increased  fury,  and  a  more  miserable  set  of  people  were  never 
congregated  together.  Every  hole  and  corner  of  the  ship  is  filled 
with  passengers.  A  dozen  women  and  as  many  children  of  all 
ages,  and  men  of  all  nations,  speaking  every  language.  Sea-sick- 
ness in  its  direst  aspects  attacked  us  all  and  sent  us  to  our  state- 
rooms before  night. 

October  20. — We  amuse  ourselves  so  well  that  the  time  does 
not  pass  heavily.  Eating  and  sleeping,  the  two  great  occupations 
of  a  sea  life,  are  carried  on  with  amazing  spirit,  and  I  perform  my 
part  of  both  without  the  least  defalcation.  Besides  these,  I  read  a 
great  deal,  and  confine  my  reading  to  French,  in  which  I  think  I 
am  greatly  improved ;  there  are  a  great  many  good  books  on 
board.  Then  we  play  whist,  several  parties  of  which  are  formed. 
Mons.  Tavout,  Mr.  Niles,  Professor  Longfellow,  and  I  make  one. 
We  all  play  pretty  well,  and  our  bet  never  exceeds  a  franc  a  game. 
Some  of  the  passengers  play  on  the  violin  and  other  instruments, 
and  on  Thursday  evening  we  got  up  a  cotillion  on  deck  —  Ainsi  va 
le  temps. 


234  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  56. 

October  28.  —  After  a  night  of  fine  sailing,  with  the  wind  at 
north-east,  which  enabled  the  passengers  to  make  up  the  arrears  of 
sleep  of  which  the  gale  of  the  previous  night  had  deprived  them,  I 
went  on  deck  this  morning  at  sunrise,  and  never  did  the  sun  rise 
on  a  more  beautiful  morning.  We  were  on  the  edge  of  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland,  in  about  49  degrees  of  longitude,  the  thermome- 
ter at  50,  immense  numbers  of  aquatic  birds,  including  ducks,  hov- 
ering over  our  heads  or  resting  on  the  waves.  Amongst  the  other 
wonders  of  the  deep  a  whale  gave  us  a  call  and  passed  off  astern. 
It  soon  fell  calm,  and  the  boundless  ocean  presented  a  smooth 
expanse  of  untroubled  waters.  The  horizon  in  the  west  has  a  sin- 
gular appearance.  There  is  a  fog  which  has  an  astonishing  resem- 
blance to  land.  I  can  almost  fancy  that  the  shores  of  our  own 
Long  Island  lie  exposed  to  my  longing  eyes. 

November  3.  —  At  eleven  o'clock  last  night  I  went  upon  deck. 
The  ship  was  sailing  finely,  at  the  rate  of  ten  knots,  before  the 
wind,  with  studding-sails  all  standing.  At  one  I  was  awakened  by 
the  noise  and  confusion  upon  deck,  occasioned  by  a  dreadful  squall, 
which  commenced  at  about  one  o'clock  and  continued  four  hours. 
Fortunately,  the  studding-sails  had  been  taken  in  before  the  storm 
commenced,  but  it  came  on  so  suddenly  and  with  such  violence 
that  the  main  top-gallant-sail  and  the  mizzen-top-sail  were  torn 
away  from  the  masts.  I  was  alarmed,  for  I  supposed  the  wind  had 
changed  to  the  south-west,  and  I  knew  we  were  not  far  south  of 
George's  bank ;  but  this  was  not  the  case,  the  wind  during  the 
whole  time  was  aft.  The  night  was  very  dark,  and  the  wind  furious 
beyond  description ;  but  we  have  made  nearly  four  degrees  in  the 
last  twenty-four  hours. 

After  the  gale  of  last  night  had  subsided  the  wind  came  out 
ahead,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  calm  until  five  o'clock,  when  it 
began  to  blow  again,  and  there  was  another  violent  gale  which 
lasted  all  night.  The  motion  of  the  ship  was  so  disagreeable  that 
I  went  to  my  birth.  At  ten  I  went  on  deck  for  a  short  time.  The 
ocean  appeared  to  be  on  fire.     I  have  never  seen  this  luminous 


1S36.]  THE   DIARY    OF   THILIP   HONE.  235 

appearance  to  so  great  a  degree  ;  not  only  the  spray  from  the  ship's 
bow,  but  every  crested  wave,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  ap- 
peared to  be  formed  of  myriads  of  bright  stars.  The  pitching  of 
the  vessel  was  so  great  that  I  could  not  remain  on  the  deck,  but 
returned  to  roll  again  in  my  berth.  These  have  been  two  dreadful 
nights  in  succession,  and  so  near  the  shore  too. 

November  6. — The  wind  is  still  most  obstinately  ahead.  We 
are  within  half-a-day's  sail  of  our  port,  with  no  more  chance  of 
getting  in  until  the  wind  changes  than  we  had  a  week  ago.  'We 
have  fallen  more  than  a  degree  south  of  Sandy  Hook.  It  is  like 
being  locked  out-of-doors  on  a  stormy  night,  without  a  night-key 
and  all  the  family  asleep. 

November  8.  —  This  morning  found  us  in  the  same  position.  I 
packed  up  my  concerns  and  made  all  ready  for  going  ashore.  The 
pilot  came  on  board  at  eight  o'clock,  but  it  became  nearly  calm, 
and  the  wind  we  had  was  nearly  ahead.  The  news-boat  boarded 
us,  and  took  off  several  of  our  passengers  at  noon,  but  they  gained 
nothing  by  it,  for  there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  day.  The  spacious  bay  lay  all  around  us  without  a 
ripple  to  disturb  its  bosom.  Vessels  of  every  description  were  to 
be  seen  immovable  like  our  own,  and  so  we  continued  until  the 
steam-boat  came  down  with  the  "  Charlemagne  "  in  tow,  and  after 
separating  from  her  was  attached  to  our  ship.  Another  steam-boat 
with  the  "  Pennsylvania,"  the  Liverpool  packet  of  this  day,  took  the 
"Oxford"  (which  had  come  up  with  us  with  the  fair  wind  while  we 
were  lying  to).  It  was  a  splendid  illustration  of  the  power  of 
steam.  Our  noble  ship  was  l}'ing  like  a  log  on  the  water  when  the 
little  steam-boat  took  her  by  the  arm,  and  cantered  off  with  her  at 
the  rate  of  eight  miles  an  hour.  We  arrived  at  the  dock,  foot  of 
Rector  street,  at  seven  o'clock,  where  we  found  Charles  Brugiere, 
who  had  heard  accidentally  of  our  arrival  from  Mr.  Saligny  (one 
of  our  renegade  passengers),  who  arrived  only  an  hour  before  us. 
Margaret  and  I,  with  Brugiere,  took  a  carriage,  and  at  eight  o'clock 
I  was  in  my  own  house.     I  entered  the  room  in  which  my  wife  and 


236  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

son  were  without  their  having  the  least  intimation  of  our  arrival ; 
for  the  packets  of  the  24th  of  September  and  the  ist  of  October, 
in  both  of  which  were  letters  announcing  our  intention  of  sailing 
in  the  "  Sylvie  de  Grasse,"  have  not  arrived,  and  if  they  were,  the 
case  would  not  have  been  different,  for  no  intelligence  of  our  ar- 
rival had  reached  the  city  until  an  hour  before  we  came  to  the 
dock. 

The  surprise  and  the  joy  of  this  unexpected  meeting  were 
almost  too  great,  but  we  were  soon  the  happiest  little  group  in  New 
York.  My  family  and  immediate  friends  are  all  well ;  there  is  a 
great  deal  of  gossip  which  must  find  a  place  in  this  journal,  but 
not  now.  I  am  once  more  at  home  by  my  own  fire-side, —  in  my 
domestic  circle,  —  doubly  dear  to  me  from  a  four  months'  absence. 
November  18.  —  The  series  of  five  pictures  by  Cole, 
pLLres  which  he  calls  the  "Course  of  Empire,"  I  have  seen 

in  their  progress,  but  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  fin- 
ished was  reserved  for  me  until  this  morning.  I  went  with  my 
wife  to  the  Gallery  of  the  National  Academy,  where  they  are  ex- 
hibited. My  expectation,  great  as  it  was  from  the  parts  I  saw 
before,  has  been  more  than  realized.  The  conception  is  sublime 
and  the  execution  admirable.  Cole  has  immortalized  himself; 
he  has  executed  the  greatest  work,  in  his  department  of  the  arts, 
which  our  country  has  produced,  and  one  which  would  take  high 
rank  in  the  best  collection  of  Europe. 

November  23.  —  This  charming  actress  arrived  to- 
Tree?  ^^^  ^^  *^^  "  Roscoc  "  from  Liverpool.     I  saw  her  twice 

at  the  Haymarket  in  August,  and  was  much  pleased 
with  her  acting,  and,  while  I  was  in  London,  Mr.  Price  informed  me 
that  he  had  engaged  her  for  the  United  States.  She  was  playing 
in  a  new  tragedy  by  Sergeant  Talfourd,  which  had  a  great  run  at 
the  Haymarket  during  the  summer  vacation  at  Drury  Lane  and 
Covent  Garden.  I  fancied  I  could  perceive  in  Miss  Tree  the 
resemblance  to  Mary  Schermerhorn  which  Fanny  Kemble  notices 
so  beautifully  in  her  pretty  budget  of  impertinences. 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   PIONE.  237 

December  6.  —  In  the  evening  I  attended  the  anniversary 
meeting  and  dinner  of  the  St.  Nicholas  Society.  Gulian  C.  Ver- 
planck,  the  newly  elected  President,  presided,  with  Washington 
Irving  and  John  A.  King  as  Vice-Presidents.  There  were  not 
more  than  sixty  who  sat  down  to  dinner,  and  it  was  rather  a  forced 
concern.  I  doubt  if  there  will  be  another  anniversary.  There 
is  great  difficulty  in  keeping  up  the  other  societies,  even  with  the 
advantage  they  have  in  forming  a  rallying-point  for  their  respec- 
tive countymen  lately  arrived,  a  sort  of  home  abroad,  affording 
strong  claims  upon  national  sensibility ;  but  in  our  society  there  is 
no  such  bond  of  union,  and  the  zeal  with  which  some  of  its 
founders  entered  into  the  undertaking  has  visibly  subsided. 

December  7.  —  I  dined  with  the  governing  committee  of  the 
Union  Club  at  Windust's.     There  were  twenty-three  present. 

The  committee  consists,  when  full,  of  thirty-five,  to  whom  all 
the  concerns  of  the  club  are  intrusted ;  there  are  two  hundred 
and  fifty  members,  not  a  sufficient  number  to  organize  properly, 
but  it  was  resolved  to  procure  a  house  and  commence  immediately. 
A  sub-committee  of  seven  was  appointed  to  carry  the  plan  into 
effect  and  to  admit  members.  I  am  on  this  committee,  much 
against  my  will.  If  this  club  can  be  gotten  up  like  the  English 
clubs,  it  may  succeed ;  little  short  of  that  will  meet  the  views  of 
the  members. 

December    9. — The    electoral   vote    of    good    old 

assa-  Massachusetts  has  been  given,  as  of  right  it  should  be, 

chusetts.  o  7  o  J 

for  Daniel  Webster,  President,  and  Francis  Granger, 
Vice-President.  These  electors  have  done  their  duty,  and  may 
carry  with  them  a  good  conscience.  The  very  thought  (wild  and 
hopeless  as  it  is)  of  having  Daniel  Webster  President  of  the  United 
States  should  make  the  heart  of  every  American  leap  in  his  bosom 
and  cause  him  to  dream  of  the  days  of  George  Washington. 

The  Woods  and  the  Forrests  are  no  longer  to  be  found  in  this 
country,  but  we  have  had  the  Groves  for  some  time,  and  now  a 
Tree  has  been  transplanted  on  our  shores,  and  never  did  a  sweeter 
or  a  lovelier  exotic  grace  our  dramatic  soil. 


23S  TTTE    DTARY    OF   rillLTP    IIOXE.  [.Etat.  56. 

But  to  quit  bad  punning  and  descend  to  sober  history,  Miss 
Ellen  Tree  made,  this  evening,  her  first  appearance  in  America,  at 
the  Park  Theatre,  in  the  character  of  Rosalind  in  "  As  You  Like 
It,"  and  Pauline  in  a  sort  of  melo-drama  called  "The  Ransom." 
Her  Rosalind  was  a  most  fascinating  performance,  full  of  grace  and 
refinement  and  the  part  well  adapted  to  her  style  of  acting.  The 
play,  admirable  as  it  is,  and  abounding  in  Shakespeare's  finest  pas- 
sages and  most  touching  sentiments,  is  usually  tiresome  in  the  per- 
formance, and  can  be  best  appreciated  in  the  closet ;  but  on  this 
occasion  sweet  Rosalind  was  so  ably  supported  by  all  the  other 
characters  that  it  went  off  delightfully.  The  charming  debutante 
was  well  received  by  a  prodigiously  crowded  house,  and  was  saluted 
by  cheers  and  waving  of  hats  and  handkerchiefs.  I  was  struck 
again,  as  in  London,  by  the  great  resemblance  of  Ellen  Tree  to  my 
daughter  Mary.  Her  profile  is  much  like  hers,  and  her  smile  so 
like  that  it  almost  overpowered  my  feelings ;  they  are  both  pretty 
well  off  for  nose,  neither  being  of  the  kind  called  "snub  "  by  any 
means;  "quite  to  the  contrary,  I  assure  you,"  as  Temple  Bowdoin 
says ;  but  Mary's  eyes  are  finer  and  more  expressive  than  Miss 
Tree's.     Fanny  Kemble  was  right  in  this  matter. 

December  14.  —  This  gentleman  has  written  two 
Mr.  Biddie.  letters,  addressed  to  the  Hon.  John  Quincy  Adams,  on 
the  subject  of  the  derangement  of  the  currency,  in 
which  he  has  exposed  the  fallacious  arguments  of  the  President 
and  his  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  exposed  in  language  most 
eloquent,  and  reasoning  the  most  conclusive,  the  mischief  resulting 
from  the  gratuitous  interference  of  these  functionaries  in  matters 
which  they  evidently  do  not  understand,  and  with  which  they  had 
no  concern.  These  letters  are  published,  and  have  created  a  lively 
interest  with  all  those  vvho  have  read  and  can  understand  them  ; 
but,  alas  !  how  small  a  proportion  of  those  whose  voices  control 
the  affairs  of  the  country  are  of  this  number. 

If  any  man  in  the  United  States  has  reason  to  be  proud  of  his 
standing  in  the  community  it  is  Nicholas  Biddie.     Assailed  as  he  has 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  239 

been  by  the  malice  and  ignorance  of  unworthy  men  in  high  stations, 
he  has  performed  his  course  with  dignity  and  forbearance,  illumi- 
nating his  official  path  as  by  a  sunbeam,  and  without  the  exulta- 
tion of  little  minds,  overcoming  and  placing  under  his  feet  all  his 
opponents.  If  any  man  but  Andrew  Jackson  had  been  at  the  head 
of  the  government,  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  would  still  have 
been  in  existence,  and  the  check  which  commercial  and  national 
prosperity  has  received  would  not  have  overwhelmed  individuals  in 
its  operation,  and  occasioned  the  present  unexampled  embarrass- 
ments. 

December  16. —  The  anniversary  of  the  great  fire.  It  is  just  a  year 
since  the  desolating  calamity  took  place,  which  destroyed  property 
to  the  amount  of  more  than  twenty  millions  of  dollars.  To  the 
honor  of  the  merchants,  and  as  an  evidence  of  the  prosperity  of  the 
city,  the  whole  is  rebuilt  with  more  splendor  than  before.  No 
pecuniary  engagements  have  been  broken  in  consequence  of  the 
losses  attendant  upon  it,  and  all  this  with  no  actual,  effectual  relief 
from  the  general  or  State  governments,  who,  instead  of  extending 
their  protecting  arms  over  their  worthy  children,  are  at  present 
occupied  in  throwing  embarrassments  in*  the  way  of  trade,  and 
checking,  as  far  as  they  can  by  impertinent  interference,  the  course 
of  public  improvement  and  individual  enterprise. 

December  30.  —  I  went  this  evening  to  a  party  at  Mrs.  Charles 
H.  Russell'^,  given  in  honor  of  the  bride,  Mrs.  William  H.  Russell. 
The  splendid  apartments  of  this  fine  house  are  well  adapted  to  an 
evening  party,  and  everything  was  very  handsome  on  this  occasion. 
The  house  is  lighted  with  gas,  and  the  quantity  consumed  being 
greater  than  common,  it  gave  out  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  a  cotil- 
lon. This  accident  occasioned  great  merriment  to  the  company, 
and  some  embarrassment  to  the  host  and  hostess,  but  a  fresh 
supply  of  gas  was  obtained,  and  in  a  short  time  the  fair  dancers 
were  again  "  tripping  it  on  the  light  fantastic  toe."  Gas  is  a  hand- 
some light,  in  a  large  room  like  Mr.  Russell's,  on  an  occasion  of  this 
kind,  but  liable  (I  should  think)  at  all  times  to  give  the  company 
the  slip,  and  illy  calculated  for  the  ordinary  uses  of  a  family. 


540  THE   DIARV   OF   niTLTP   ITONE.  [^tat.  57. 


1837-' 


TANUARY  I.  —  The  beginning  of  another  year.  That  of  the 
*^  last  was  inauspicious;  the  ruins  of  the  great  fire  were  still 
smoking,  to  remind  our  merchants  and  other  citizens  of  the  twenty 
millions  of  dollars  which  they  had  lost,  and  of  which  those  melan- 
choly ruins  were  the  gloomy  monument ;  but  the  indomitable  spirit 
of  the  merchants  soon  recovered  from  the  loss,  and  although  they 
bent  severely  under  the  burden  of  their  affliction,  they  were  too 
proud  and  too  honest  to  break,  and  if  they  had  been  let  alone  by 
General  Jackson  and  the  crew  who  surround  him  and  minister  to 
his  vanity  and  humour  his  prejudices,  they  would  have  recovered 
their  losses  and  been  easy  in  their  affairs;  but  the  close  of  1836 
has  been  hard,  indeed,  to  those  who  owed  money,  and  depended 
upon  others  for  the  means  of  meeting  their  engagements ;  money  is 
very  scarce,  and  the  usurers  are  fattening  upon  their  two  and  one-half 
and  three  per  cent,  a  month,  which  they  make  indirectly  by  the 
medium  of  bills  of  exchange.  The  poor  borrowers  are  forced  to 
pay  for  the  ingenuity  of  the  lenders  in  avoiding  the  penalties  of  the 
usury  laws,  and  the  price  of  money  is  talked  of  as  familiarly  as 
that  of  bank  stock  or  cotton. 

During  the  last  year  I,  too,  have  had  my  troubles ;  my  property 
nominally  is  worth  as  much  as  ever  it  was,  but  I  am  largely  in  debt, 
and  cannot  convert  anything  I  have  into  money  but  at  a  sacrifice 
which  I  am  unwilling  to  make.  So  I  am  compelled,  like  other 
poor  devils,  to  bow  to  the  men  who  have  the  money  in  their 
hands.  This  comes  a  little  hard  to  me,  who  am  not  used  to  it ; 
but  I  must  put  my  pride  in  my  empty  pocket  and  hope  for  better 
times. 

I  have  crossed  the  broad  Atlantic,  —  an  event  which  I  little 
dreamed  of  at  the  commencement  of  the  year ;  saw  Old  England 


1S37.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  24 1 

to  great  advantage;  enjoyed  Ics  dcliccs  de  Paris;  passed  through 
France  and  a  small  corner  of  Switzerland  ;  spent  a  few  happy  days 
with  my  dear  daughters  on  the  border  of  the  lovely  Lake  Leman  ; 
had  a  short,  and  tolerably  agreeable,  voyage  back  to  New  York, 
escaping  thereby  many  storms  and  tedious  weeks  endured  by  all 
those  who  sailed  after  us ;  and  arrived  again  in  the  midst  of  my 
friends,  confirmed  in  my  opinion  that  home  is  the  best  place  for  a 
man  of  fifty-six  years  of  age.  On  the  whole,  I  have  great  reason 
to  be  thankful  for  the  blessings  I  enjoy.  My  health  is  good,  my 
family  happy,  and  my  position  in  society  respectable.  I  am  not 
too  old  to  have  a  taste  for  the  enjoyments  of  life,  and  my  circum- 
stances admit  of  a  reasonable  indulgence  in  them.  I  am  fond  of 
literature,  have  a  sort  of  smattering  in  the  fine  arts,  and  perceive 
no  failure  in  those  faculties  which  are  required  for  their  enjoyment. 
The  year  1837  has  commenced ;  my  prayers  for  better  times  are,  I 
trust,  sufficiently  mingled  with  thanksgivings  for  the  undeserved 
blessings  I  enjoy. 

January  3.  —  Mr.  Lawrence,  the  Mayor,  kept  open  house  yester- 
day, according  to  ancient  custom ;  but  the  manners,  as  well  as  the 
times,  have  sadly  changed.  Formerly  gentlemen  visited  the  Mayor, 
saluted  him  by  an  honest  shake  of  the  hand,  paid  him  the  compliments 
of  the  day,  and  took  their  leave  j  one  out  of  twenty  taking  a  single 
glass  of  wine  or  cherry  bounce,  and  a  morsel  of  pound-cake  or  New 
Year's  cookies.  But  that  respectable  functionary  is  now  considered 
the  mayor  of  a  party,  and  the  rabble,  considering  him  "  hail  fellow 
well  met,"  use  his  house  as  a  Five-point  tavern.  Mr.  Lawrence 
has  been  much  annoyed  on  former  occasions,  but  the  scene  yester- 
day defies  description.  At  ten  o'clock  the  doors  were  beset  by  a 
crowd  of  importunate  sovereigns,  some  of  whom  had  already  laid 
the  foundation  of  regal  glory  and  expected  to  become  royally  drunk 
at  the  hospitable  house  of  His  Honor.  The  rush  was  tremendous ; 
the  tables  were  taken  by  storm,  the  bottles  emptied  in  a  moment ; 
confusion,  noise,  and  quarrelling  ensued,  until  the  Mayor,  with  the 
assistance  of  his  police,  cleared  the  house  and  locked  the  doors, 


243  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  57. 

which  were  not  reopened  until  every  eatable  and  drinkable  were 
removed,  and  a  little  decency  and  order  restored. 

I  called  soon  after  this  change  had  taken  place  ;  the  Mayor  related 
the  circumstances  to  me  with  strong  indignation,  and  I  hope  the 
evil  will  be  remedied  hereafter.  But  this  comes  of  Mr.  Lawrence 
being  the  mayor  of  a  party,  and  not  of  the  city.  Every  scamp  who 
has  bawled  out  "  Huzza  for  Lawrence  !  "  and  "  Down  with  the 
Whigs  ! "  considers  himself  authorized  to  use  him  and  his  house  and 
furniture  at  his  pleasure ;  to  wear  his  hat  in  his  presence ;  to  smoke 
and  spit  upon  his  oarpet ;  to  devour  his  beef  and  turkey,  and  wipe  his 
greasy  fingers  upon  the  curtains ;  to  get  drunk  with  his  liquor,  and 
discharge  the  reckoning  by  riotous  shouts  of"  Huzza  for  our  Mayor  ! " 
We  put  him  in,  and  we  are  entided  to  the  use  of  him.  Mr.  Law- 
rence (party  man  as  he  is)  is  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to  submit  to 
this,  and  sometimes  wishes  his  constituents  and  his  office  all  to  the 
devil,  if  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken ;  and  if  he  rejects  (as  he  has 
now  done)  their  kind  tokens  of  brotherly  affection,  they  will  be  for 
sending  him  there  ere  long,  and  will  look  out  for  somebody  of  their 
own  class,  less  troubled  than  he  with  these  aristocratical  notions 
of  decency,  order,  and  sobriety. 

January  7. — The  venerable  Abraham  Van  Vechten 
y\^^  died  yesterday  in  Albany,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of 

his  age.  He  was  one  of  the  descendants  of  the  Dutch 
settlers  of  Albany.  A  lawyer  of  the  highest  class,  a  statesman  of 
the  glorious  old  Federal  school,  honest  in  his  politics  and  in  his 
private  character  as  the  sun  which  shone  above  him,  of  a  mind 
strong  and  vigorous  as  the  winter  of  his  -native  city,  and  a  heart 
soft  as  the  early  summer  breeze  of  the  South. 

January    12.  —  The    arrangement    which    was    so 
Disturbed""'^^  happily  effected  a  few  years  since  by  the  public  spirit 

of  Mr.  Clay,  which  was  understood  by  all  parties  to  be 
inviolable,  and  which  healed  the  wounds  of  Southern  feeling  with- 
out sacrificing  the  great  manufacturing  interests  of  the  country,  has 
now  been  assailed  by  the  ruthless  hand  of  party,  and  our  little 


I837-]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  243 

representative,  Mr.  Cambreling,  was  the  chosen  instrument  to 
sharpen  the  weapon,  and  give  its  direction.  He  has  introduced 
into  the  House  of  Representatives,  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
of  Ways  and  Means,  a  bill  to  alter  the  tariff  duties  upon  foreign 
manufactures,  so  that  the  reduction  which,  by  Mr.  Clay's  com- 
promise, was  to  be  made  gradually,  is  anticipated  four  years. 
Another  section  of  the  act  takes  off  immediately  the  duties  upon 
salt  and  coals.  If  this  high-handed  measure  is  sanctioned  by  the 
President-elect  (of  which  there  is  very  little  doubt,  for  Cambreling 
is  his  acknowledged  mouth-piece),  a  flame  will  be  raised  which 
may  in  time  endanger  the  union  of  the  States,  prostrate  the  active 
industry  of  the  East  and  North,  and  render  the  whole  country 
dependent  upon  foreigners.  No  wonder  General  Jackson  and  his 
administrators,  executors,  and  assigns  are  popular  in  England. 
They  are  an  admirable  party  for  the  interest  of  John  Bull.  Huzza 
for  Jackson  and  Van  Buren  !  Down  with  the  New  York  Whigs  who 
opposed  the  "  commercial  representative,"  and  were  so  near 
sending  an  honest  man  to  take  his  place  !  These  cries  will  be 
mighty  popular  in  the  "old  countr},"  and  have  more  weight 
and  unction  than  even  "  God  save  the  King  ! "  or  "  Down  with  the 
Bishops  !  " 

January  14.  —  The  ship  "Wellington,"  of  740  tons  burden, 
was  launched  this  day  from  Bergh's  ship-yards.  She  is  intended 
for  Grinnell,  Minturn,  &  Co.'s  London  line  of  packets.  The  great 
duke  (as  the  Spaniards  used  to  call  him)  ought  to  be  highly 
gratified  at  this  complim.ent  from  republican  America.  How  things 
are  changed  !  A  supposed  predilection  for  Old  England,  charged 
upon  the  Federal  party  thirty  years  ago,  lost  them  their  political 
ascendency.  At  that  time  men  were  afraid  to  wear  a  red  watch- 
ribbon,  lest  it  might  be  taken  for  a  symbol  of  Toryism  and  bring 
the  wearer  a  broken  head ;  but  now  the  two  old  women  who  govern 
England  and  America  are  great  cronies,  and  their  subjects  better 
friends  than  they  were  before  the  battle  of  Concord ;  and  the  name 
of  the  Prince  of  Conservatives,  the  greatest  aristocrat  in  Europe, 


244  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.57. 

graces  the  bows  of  one  of  the  noble  ships  of  which  America  has 
reason  to  be  proud. 

February  16.  —  This  terrible  old  man,  whose  term 
resi  en  ^j.  ^f^^^  (happily  for  the  country)  will  expire  in  a  little 

more  than  a  fortnight,  has  been  committing  one  of 
those  acts  of  violence  in  which  he  habitually  indulges,  toward  a 
senator  whose  high  character  has  hitherto  preserved  him  from  the 
personal  insults  of  black  ...  of  meaner  rank  than  his  present 
assailant.  The  "  old  General,"  as  he  is  affectionately  called  ;  the 
"greatest  and  best,"  as  he  is  foolishly  called;  or  the  "second 
Washington,"  as  he  is  profanely  called  by  the  band  of  sycophants 
who  have  made  him  what  he  is, — is  determined  to  die  game  ;  or,  to 
use  an  expression  which  was  brought  into  the  American  vocabulary 
about  the  same  time  that  he  assumed  the  crown  and  sceptre,  he 
goes  "  the  whole  hog  "  in  insulting  the  feelings  of  that  part  of  the 
American  people  who  have  yet  remaining  some  veneration  for 
their  country's  institutions.  Mr.  Calhoun  laid  before  the  Senate 
a  letter  which  he  had  received  from  the  President,  calling  him 
to  account  for  remarks  made  in  debate  in  regard  to  that  most 
mischievous  measure,  the  removing  the  national  deposits  from  the 
late  Bank  of  the  United  States.  The  Executive  arraigning  a 
senator  who  represents  a  sovereign  State,  and  that  the  proud  State 
of  South  Carolina,  and  abusing  him  for  the  exercise  of  a  constitu- 
tional right,  —  the  free  expression  of  opinion  on  the  conduct  of 
another  branch  of  the  government,  delivered,  it  is  to  be  presumed, 
in  a  decorous  and  orderly  manner,  or  his  brother  senators  would 
not  have  permitted  it.  William  of  Orange  would  never  have  worn 
the  cro\vn  of  England  had  Parliament  and  the  people  been  equally 
subservient  to  the  dictates  of  power  as  are  my  dear,  gullible  coun- 
trymen. What  would  the  Hancocks,  the  Adamses,  and  the  Quincys  ; 
the  Jays,  the  Clintons,  and  the  Hamiltons ;  the  Henrys,  the  Ran- 
dolphs, and  the  Madisons,  —  have  said  at  the  bare  suggestion  of  such 
a  radical  defect  within  the  space  of  fifty  or  sixty  years  in  the  fair 
fabric  which  their  patriotic  labours  contributed  to  erect,  as  could  by 


1S37]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  245 

possibility  permit  such  a  usurpation  on  the  part  of  the  executive 
magistrate?  He  could  not  wait  until  his  time  was  out  to  vent  his 
spleen  against  a  political  opponent.  It  was  more  convenient  to 
"  assume  the  responsibility  "  (a  hateful  Jackson  term)  before  the 
fourth  of  March  should  have  taken  from  his  shoulders  the  mantle 
of  official  impunity.  Or,  perhaps,  as  "  the  old  cocks  teach  the 
young  ones  to  crow,"  this  act  was  intended  to  instruct  his  suc- 
cessor and  favourite  in  the  art  of  governing  upon  patent  Jackson 
principles,  and  to  give  him  the  exact  length  and  breadth  of  the 
forbearance  of  the  American  people ;  but,  thank  God  !  Mr.  Van 
Buren,  although  a  wiser  and  a  better  man,  does  not  enjoy  the 
baneful  popularity,  at  least  in  any  important  degree,  of  the  present 
chief  magistrate,  and  cannot  (even  if  he  were  so  disposed,  which  I 
am  far  from  believing)  ever  trifle  with  the  feelings  of  his  country- 
men with  the  same  indulgence.  Mr.  Calhoun,  on  presenting  the 
letter  to  the  Senate,  repeated  the  remarks  which  had  occasioned  it, 
and  with  great  eloquence,  dignity,  and  self-possession  appealed  to 
that  body  to  protect  their  privileges. 

M^RCH  4.  —  This  is  the  end  of  General  Jackson's  administration, 
— the  most  disastrous  in  the  annals  of  the  country,  and  one  which 
will  excite  "  the  special  wonder  "  of  posterity.  That  such  a  man 
should  have  governetl  this  great  country,  with  a  rule  more  absolute 
than  that  of  any  hereditary  monarch  of  Europe,  and  that  the  peo- 
ple should  not  only  have  submitted  to  it,  but  upheld  and  supported 
him  in  his  encroachments  upon  their  rights,  and  his  disregard  of 
the  Constitution  and  the  laws,  will  equally  occasion  the  surprise 
and  indignation  of  future  generations.  The  people's  indifference 
will  prove  that  the  love  of  liberty  and  independence  is  no  longer 
an  attribute  of  our  people,  and  that  the  patriotic  labours  of  the  men 
of  the  Revolution  have  sunk  like  water  in  the  sands,  and  that  the 
vaunted  rights  of  the  people  are  considered  by  them  as  a  "  cun- 
ningly devised  fable." 

This  is  also  the  commencement  of  Mr.  Van  Buren's  reign,  the 
first  New  York  President.     He  has  said  that  it  was  "  honour  enou;:rh 


246  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.-Etat.  57. 

to  have  served  under  sucla  a  chief,"  and  will  no  doubt  for  a  time 
speak  with  reverence  of  the  ladder  by  which  he  has  risen  to  the 
summit  of  ambitious  hopes  ;  but  I  do  not  despair  of  him.  He  will 
be  a  party  President,  but  he  is  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to  be 
governed  by  the  rabble  who  surrounded  his  predecessor  and  ad- 
ministered to  his  bad  passions.  As  a  man,  a  gentleman,  and  a 
friend,  I  have  great  respect  for  Mr.  Van  Buren.  I  hate  the  cause, 
but  esteem  the  man ;  and,  although  I  differ  in  my  expectations  from 
some  of  my  political  friends,  I  am  disposed  to  give  him  a  fair 
chance.  What  a  tide  there  is  in  the  affairs  of  men  !  The  refusal 
of  a  Whig  Senate  to  confirm  his  appointment  as  Minister  to  Eng- 
land made  him  President  of  the  United  States. 

March  6. — The  new  President  was  sworn  into 
inauguraUon.  office  at  the  Capitol,  on  Saturday,  at  noon.  The  cere- 
mony was  conducted  as  usual,  in  the  presence  of  the 
"  high  dignitaries "  of  the  nation,  foreign  ministers,  etc.,  and  as 
many  of  the  "  sovereigns"  as  could  gain  admittance  to  the  presence 
of  their  "  servant."  Mr.  Van  Buren  made  an  inaugural  speech, 
which  I  think  is  very  good.  The  principles'  on  which  he  promises 
to  govern  are  unexceptionable,  and  if  he  had  not  committed  himself 
unnecessarily,  and  I  think  improperly,  on  the  subject  of  slavery, 
by  saying  that  he  intends  to  veto  any  bill  which  may  be  passed  by 
Congress  to  regulate  that  knotty  subject  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
and  if  he  could  only  have  kept  himself  quiet  about  the  old  lion, 
who  is  now  about  to  drag  his  reluctant  steps  away  from  the  den, 
I  should  have  said.  Hurrah  for  Martin  the  First !  His  glorifi- 
cation of  the  "hero  of  a  considerable  number  of  wars"  is  too 
good  to  be  lost. 

M\RCH    15.  —  This  has  turned  out  a  great   affair; 
r.     e  s  e  s  gygj-yj-j^jj^g,  ^gj^|.  ]j}.g  clock-work.     I  arose  at  six  o'clock. 

Reception.  ^  ° 

The  morning  was  raw  and  looked  stormy,  but  soon 
became  bright,  and  it  proved  a  pleasant  day.  At  seven  o'clock 
the  committee  of  arrangements,  consisting  of  myself,  Messrs.  Draper, 
Barstow,  Leavitt,  Johnson,  Smith,  and  Benson,  started  in  the  steam- 


IS37-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  247 

boat  and  arrived  at  Amboy  at  half-past  nine.  On  the  arrival  of 
the  cars  from  Philadelphia  we  received  Mr.  Webster.  The  flags 
which  had  been  prepared  were  hoisted  on  his  coming  on  board, 
and  we  started  immediately.  V,'e  arrived  at  the  steamboat  wharf 
near  the  Battery  at  three  o'clock  ;  here  the  crowd  was  immense  ; 
the  dock-houses,  sheds,  and  that  part  of  the  Battery  nearest  the 
place  of  landing  were  covered  with  people.  Mr.  Webster  was 
placed  in  my  barouche,  in  which  also  D.  B.  Ogden,  Peter  Stagg, 
and  myself  were  seated.  An  escort  of  horsemen,  to  the  number  of 
one  hundred,  preceded  the  barouche,  and  the  carriages  with  the 
members  of  the  committee  followed.  Broadway  was  filled  with 
people  from  the  Battery  to  the  American  Hotel  (Mr.  Webster's 
quarters),  and  he  was  cheered  by  the  crowd  on  his  whole  progress 
with  great  enthusiasm.  On  his  arrival  at  the  hotel  he  addressed 
them  briefly  from  a  front  window.  The  committee  escorting  Mr. 
Webster,  with  Mr.  Granger,  Mr.  Abbot  Lawrence,  and  a  few  others, 
went,  at  six  o'clock,  to  Niblo's  saloon,  where  an  immense  concourse 
was  assembled  by  previous  notice.  The  meeting  was  organized 
by  the  appointment  of  David  B.  Ogden,  chairman,  Robert  C.  Cor- 
nell, Jonathan  Goodhue,  Nathaniel  Weed,  and  Joseph  Tucker,  vice- 
presidents,  and  Hiram  Ketcham  and  Joseph  Hoxie,  secretaries. 
The  resolutions  passed  at  the  first  meeting  were  read,  together 
with  the  correspondence.  Our  committee  then  ascended  the  stage 
with  Mr.  Webster,  and  I  introduced  him  with  a  brief  speech. 

The  chairman  then  read  an  address  to  Mr.  Webster,  to  which 
he  replied  in  a  speech  of  two  hours  and  a  half,  —  one  of  those 
glorious  exhibitions  of  talent  for  which  he  stands  unrivalled  in 
America.  He  gave  a  clear  and  forcible  history  of  the  administra- 
tion for  the  last  eight  years ;  laid  open  his  views  and  the  course  of 
his  political  conduct ;  told  the  Whigs,  in  •  glowing  and  animated 
terms,  the  duty  they  owed  the  Republic,  even  while  in  a  minority ; 
and  sent  home  four  or  five  thousand  as  good-looking  men  as  I  ever 
saw  assembled,  delighted  and  instructed,  and  unconscious  that  they 
had  been  standing  in  one  position  for  nearly  four  hours.     The  use 


248  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [.'Etat-s;. 

of  the  Governor's  room  in  the  City  Hall  has  been  obtained  for 
Mr.  Webster,  where  he  will  receive  visitors  to-morrow  from  twelve 
until  two  o'clock. 

March  18.  —  Notwithstanding  the  hard  times  and  my  partici- 
pation in  their  effects,  I  could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  having 
Mr.  Webster  to  dine  with  me  to-day ;  so  I  had  a  nice  little  party, 
and  an  exceedingly  pleasant  one.  "  The  man  whom  every  true 
American  delights  to  honour  "  (there  is  no  harm  in  stealing  out  of 
my  own  pocket)  was  more  at  his  ease  than  I  ever  before  saw  him 
at  dinner-table ;  he  was  talkative,  cheerful,  full  of  anecdote,  and 
appeared  to  enjoy  himself  as  much  as  he  caused  others  to  enjoy 
themselves,  and  we  made  a  very  gay  termination  of  an  exceedingly 
sorrowful  sort  of  a  week.  Our  party  consisted  of  the  following : 
Mr.  Webster,  Mr.  David  B.  Ogden,  Chancellor  Kent,  Robert  Ray, 
Mr.  Granger,  Charles  King,  Mr.  James  Brown,  Simeon  Draper,  Mr. 
George  Griswold,  President  Duer.  The  troubles  in  Wall  street 
kept  away  James  G.  King  and  Morris  Robinson.  A  number  of 
failures  have  taken  place  to-day ;  only  the  forerunners  of  greater 
disasters.  The  names  are  not  worth  recording,  for  such  events 
will  soon  cease  to  be  worthy  of  remark 

March  20.  —  The  prospects  in  Wall  street  are  getting  worse  and 
worse.  The  Josephs  do  not  go  on.  The  accounts  from  England 
are  very  alarming ;  the  panic  prevails  there  as  bad  as  here.  Cotton 
has  fallen ;  the  loss  on  shipments  will  be  very  heavy,  and  American 
credits  will  be  withdrawn.  The  paper  of  the  Southern  and  Western 
merchants  is  coming  back  protested.  Why  should  I  be  in  such  a 
scrape  ? 

March  28. — The  general  meeting  of  the  Whigs  was  held  this 
evening  at  Masonic  Hall,  to  receive  the  nomination  of  Aaron  Clarke 
for  mayor.  I  was  there  for  a  short  time.  The  great  hall  was 
filled,  and  great  enthusiasm  prevailed.  I  hope  it  will  not  evaporate. 
A  much  greater  object  is  to  be  attained  than  the  mere  personal 
triumph  of  Aaron  Clarke  over  John  J.  Morgan.  This  will  be  the 
first  important  election  which  has  been  held  since  Mr.  Van  Buren 


1837-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  249 

assumed  the  reins  of  government,  and  it  will  be  well  to  let  him  know 
whether  the  people  approve  of  his  driving  (as  he  has  intimated  he 
intended  to  do)  according  to  the  Jackson  plan. 

A  meeting  of  merchants  was  held  this  day  at  the  Merchants' 
Bank,  Wall  street,  for  the  purpose  of  agreeing  upon  a  letter  to  be 
presented  to  Air.  Biddle,  requesting  the  Bank  of  the  United  States, 
at  Philadelphia,  to  step  forward  in  this  most  appalling  crisis  and 
save  the  commercial  community  of  New  York.  Mr.  Biddle  and 
the  cashier,  Mr.  Jaudon,  have  come  on  purpose  to  ascertain  the 
true  state  of  things,  and,  if  possible,  to  afford  relief. 

I  was  invited  to  attend  this  meeting ;  never  was  seen  such  an 
assemblage  of  woe-begone  countenances.  Despondency  had  taken 
place  of  that  indomitable  spirit  which  usually  characterizes  the  mer- 
chants of  New  York,  and  Nicholas  Biddle,  the  insulted  and  pro- 
scribed of  x\ndrew  Jackson  and  his  myrmidons,  is  the  sun  to  which 
alone  they  can  look  to  illumine  the  darkness.  Did  ever  man  enjoy 
so  great  a  moral  triumph  ?.  He  is  the  only  man,  and  the  bank  over 
which  he  so  ably  presides  the  only  institution,  in  the  country  which 
has  stood  erect  before  the  implacable  hostility  of  Andrew  Jackson. 
Mr.  Biddle,  placing  himself  upon  the  firm  base  of  honour  and  in- 
tegrity, has  retaliated  the  wrongs  which  he  has  received  from  a 
portion  of  his  fellow-citizens,  by  serving  them  whenever  a  suitable 
occasion  occurred,  and  now  he  comes  forward  in  the  day  of  their 
adversity  to  relieve  them  to  the  extent  of  his  ability.  He  can  do 
so  much,  and  most  assuredly  will. 

IVIarch  31.  —  This  was  the  greatest  dinner  I  was  ever 
°  "^       at,  with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  that  given  to  Wash- 

ington Irving  on  his  return  from  Europe.  I  had  the 
honour  of  being  an  invited  guest.  The  Association  of  Booksellers  in 
the  principal  cities  of  the  Union  have  a  great  annual  or  semi-annual 
feast,  at  which  eminent  literary  and  scientific  men  are  invited  to 
join  the  trade.  This,  I  believe,  was  the  first  in  New  York ;  it  was 
given  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  was  gotten  up,  arranged,  and  conducted 
in  admirable  style.     At  five  o'clock  yesterday,  the  Association,  with 


250  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  C/Etat.57. 

their  guests  (I  should  think  to  the  number  of  fifty),  began  to  as- 
semble, and  when  the  company  was  seated  the  large  dining-room 
was  quite  full.  Mr.  Crittenden  told  me  this  morning  that  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy-seven  persons  sat  down  to  the  table.  Mr.  David 
Felt  presided  in  handsome  style,  assisted  by  F.  Harper,  Charles 
Carv'ill,  W.  Jackson,  and  James  Conner,  as  vice-presidents,  George 
Dearborn,  master  of  ceremonies,  and  John  Keese  as  toast-master. 

Among  the  guests  whom  I  noticed  were  Rev.  Mr.  Schroeder, 
Rev.  Orville  Dewey,  Professor  Follen,  President  Duer,  and  Professors 
McVickar,  Anderson,  and  Renwick,  of  Columbia  College,  Chancellor 
Kent,  Mr.  Gallatin,  Colonel  Trumbull,  Judge  Irving,  Washington 
Irving,  Halleck,  Bryant,  Paulding,  Hugh  Maxwell,  Dr.  McMurtrie, 
Dr.  Gray,  Leggett,  Herbert,  Grenville  Mellon,  Inman,  Weir,  Chap- 
man, Drs.  Ticknor,  Gilman,  DeKay,  and  Francis,  besides  many 
gentlemen  connected  with  literature  in  Philadelphia  and  Boston. 

April  10.  —  One  of  the  signs  of  the  times  is  to  be  seen  in  the 
sales  of  rich  furniture.  Men  who  a  year  ago  thought  themselves 
rich,  and  such  expenditures  justifiable,  are  now  bankrupt. 

Markets  continue  extravagantly  high ;  meat  of  all  kinds  and 
poultry  are  as  dear  as  ever.  The  farmers  (or  rather  the  market 
speculators)  tell  us  this  is  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  corn ;  but  the 
shad,  the  cheapness  of  which  in  ordinary  seasons  makes  them,  as 
long  as  they  last,  a  great  resource  for  the  poor,  are  not  to  be  bought 
under  seventy-five  cents  and  a  dollar.  Is  this  owing  to  the  scarcity 
of  corn,  or  are  the  fish  afraid  to  come  into  our  waters  lest  they  may 
be  caught  in  the  vortex  of  Wall  street  ?  Brooms,  the  price  of  which, 
time  out  of  mind,  has  been  twenty-five  cents,  are  now  sold  at  half  a 
dollar  ;  but  corn  is  scarce.     Poor  New  York  ! 

April  21.  —  An  evidence  of  the  pecuniary  distress  which  pervades 
the  community  is  to  be  found  in  the  reduced  price  of  stocks  and 
unimproved  real  estate.  All  the  local  bank  stocks  have  fallen  below 
par.  Railroads  and  canals  will  not  bring  in  many  instances  more 
than  half  their  value  a  year  ago.  The  Delaware  and  Hudson,  which 
is  now  in  a  more  prosperous  condition  than  at  any  former  period,  is 


I837-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  2$  I 

selling  at  sixty-five  per  cent.,  and  Mohawk  and  Hudson  Railroad 
about  the  same.  As  to  lots  which  have  been  the  medium  of  enor- 
mous speculations,  the  following  fact  will  tell  their  story :  Lots  at 
Bloomingdale,  somewhere  about  One  Hundredth  street  (for  the 
whole  island  was  laid  out  in  town  lots),  which  cost  last  September 
$480  a  lot,  have  been  sold  within  a  few  days  at  $50.  The  immense 
fortunes  which  we  heard  so  much  about  in  the  days  of  speculation 
have  melted  away  like  the  snows  before  an  April  sun.  No  man  can 
calculate  to  escape  ruin  but  he  who  owes  no  money.  Happy  is  he 
who  has  a  little,  and  is  free  from  debt. 

April  25.  —  This  volume  commences  at  the  most  gloomy  period 
which  New  York  has  ever  known.  The  clouds  which  have  been 
for  six  months  hovering  over  us  liave  become  darker  than  ever, 
and  no  eye  can  perceive  a  ray  of  hope  through  their  obscurity.  I 
participate  personally,  to  a  great  degree,  in  the  distress  and  em- 
barrassment of  the  time.  The  difference  in  my  situation  and  pros- 
pects between  the  commencement  of  the  last  volume  of  this  journal 
and  the  present  time  is  so  great  that  it  requires  a  good  share  of 
philosophy  and  resignation  to  keep  up  under  the  reflections  which 
flow  from  the  contrast,  and  I  would  throw  down  this  steel  pen 
(which  don't  write  over  and  above  well)  and  give  up  the  task  of 
journalizing  on  the  threshold  of  this  volume,  if  I  had  not  a 
lingering  hope  that  I  may  yet,  one  of  these  days,  have  cause  to 
write  in  a  more  cheerful  strain. 

April  26.  —  A  meeting  of  merchants  was  held  last 
Great  Meeting        j^jj^^  ^j.  Masonic  Hall,  "  to  take  into  consideration 

of  Merchants.  °  ' 

the  present  distress,  and  to  devise  suitable  measures  of 
relief."  I  took  the  chair  of  the  largest  and  most  respectable 
assemblage  I  ever  witnessed. 

The  resolutions  are  pretty  well  spiced,  and  some  softening  alter- 
ations were  made  at  my  suggestion ;  as  they  are,  they  contain 
nothing  but  the  truth,  and  the  truth  which  in  such  an  emergency 
ought  to  be  spoken.  But  I  understand  some  of  the  Wall-street 
gentlemen  (particularly  the  few  who  owe  no  money)  are  opposed 


252  THE   DIARY   OF  PHILIP   HONE.  [^'Etat.  57. 

to  tlie  meeting,  or  a,ny  other  which  may  express  the  feeUngs  of  the 
suffering  merchants  and  traders.  But  those  who  attended  the 
meeting  must  have  perceived  a  spirit  there  which  cannot  be 
quenched.  The  following  committee  was  appointed,  under  one  of 
the  resolutions,  "  to  repair  to  Washington  and  remonstrate  with  the 
Executive  against  the  continuance  of  the  specie  circular,  and  in 
behalf  of  this  meeting,  and  in  the  name  of  the  merchants  of  New 
York  and  the  people  of  the  United  States,  to  urge  its  immediate 
repeal." 

I  attended  last  evening  the  dinner  of  the  governing  committee 
of  the  Union  Club,  at  Windust's.  Nineteen  present.  The  Execu- 
tive Committee  are  engaged  in  preparing  the  house  and  laying  in 
stores  and  furniture.  They  expect  to  be  ready  in  about  three 
weeks.  This  club  will  be  well  suited  to  the  times.  A  single  gentle- 
man will  be  able  to  get  a  good  dinner  and  his  wine  for  half  the 
price  he  would  have  to  pay  at  a  hotel. 

I  attended  this  evening  an  extra  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the 
Bank  for  Savings,  called  in  consequence  of  applications  from  the 
Bowery  and  the  Greenwich  Savings-Bank  to  help  them  in  their 
present  difficulties.  The  poor  and  the  labouring  classes  of  the 
community,  who  constitute  a  large  proportion  of  the  depositors  in 
those  institutions,  urged  by  their  necessities,  or  by  a  want  of  con- 
fidence in  all  money  institutions,  are  withdrawing  their  funds  in  a 
most  alarming  manner.  The  two  banks  above  named  will  not  be 
able  to  keep  up,  and  I  fear  that  even  our  great  bank,  with  a  deposit 
account  of  upward  of  three  millions  of  dollars,  will  find  it  extremely 
difficult  to  meet  the  nm  which  will  be  occasioned  by  the  suspension 
of  the  others.  Our  funds  have  been  safely  and  judiciously  invested 
in  State  stocks  bearing  five  and  six  per  cent,  interest,  —  good,  if 
anything  in  America  may  be  so  considered  in  these  times ;  but  the 
run  has  already  been  dreadful.  Up  to  yesterday  the  drafts  in  the 
present  month  amounted  to  ^280,000.  We  have  sold  a  large 
amount  of  stocks  at  a  very  heavy  loss,  and  every  exertion  is  making 
by  as  discreet  and  able  a  set  of  men  as  ever  had  the  control  of  a 


1837]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  253 

public  institution  ;  but  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  State  stocks 
of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio  will  not  much  longer  com- 
mand money  at  any  price,  so  entirely  has  confidence  been  destroyed 
in  the  community.  A  panic  amongst  such  people  as  the  bulk  of 
depositors  in  savings-banks  cannot  be  restrained ;  it  goes  on  to 
the  destruction  of  themselves  as  well  as  the  sources  on  which  they 
depend  for  support.  But  there  is  no  reasoning  with  them.  Like 
the  wild  and  frightened  horse,  their  onward  career  cannot  be 
checked  by  a  curb  or  bridle,  and  reason  might  as  well  be  employed 
to  arrest  the  stormy  waves  of  ocean. 

April  28.  —  Mr.  Webster's  great  speech,  delivered 
.  r.     c  sers  ^^j.  Niblo's  OH  the    i=;th  of  March,  is  published  in  the 

Speech.  -^  '        ^ 

Whig  newspapers,  beside  many  thousand  copies  in 
pamphlet  form.  If  the  people  would  read  this  admirable  address, 
it  could  not  fail  to  produce  the  most  salutary  effects ;  but  they  dare 
not  put  themselves  in  the  way  of  having  their  faith  in  their  idols 
shaken ;  they  heed  not  the  charmer,  "  charm  he  ever  so  wisely." 
Mr.  Webster  did  not  aim  at  a  display  of  eloquence  in  this  address. 
His  object,  as  he  avowed  it  at  the  time,  was  to  make  a  plain  state- 
ment of  the  measures  of  the  late  administration,  and  a  history  of 
the  causes  which  led  to  the  present  unparalleled  state  of  distress 
and  embarrassment  here,  and  in  all  parts  of  this  once  prosperous 
country.  Still  it  contains  occasional  flashes  of  eloquence  in  the 
most  brilliant  style  of  the  accomplished  orator. 

May  2.  — The  number  of  failures  is  so  great  daily  that  I  do  not 
keep  a  record  of  them,  even  in  my  mind. 

May  6. — The  committee  of  merchants  met  at  five  o'clock  to 
receive  the  report  of  the  sub-committee,  who  returned  this  morning 
from  Washington.  Their  interview  with  the  President,  as  was  ex- 
pected, produced  nothing.  He  insisted  upon  a  written  communica- 
tion, to  which  he  sent  a  reply.  He  will  do  nothing  in  regard  to 
the  specie  circular,  will  not  call  an  extra  session  of  Congress,  and 
will  not  take  into  consideration  the  subject  of  the  government  for- 
bearance to  enforce  the  payment  of  bonds.     The  committee  are 


254  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.57. 

under  strong  excitement,  and  I  fear  the  consequences  of  a  meeting 
which  is  to  be  held  on  Monday  to  receive  this  report.  But  there 
was  no  resisting  it.  It  is  a  dangerous  time  for  such  a  meeting ; 
combustibles  enough  are  collected  to  cause  an  awful  conflagration ; 
men's  minds  are  bent  upon  mischief;  ruin  and  rashness,  distress 
and  despair,  generally  go  together,  and  a  spark  may  blow  us  up.  I 
must  preside  at  this  meeting,  for  it  would  be  dishonourable  to  desert 
these  men  now.  If  I  have  influence,  I  will  exert  it  to  prevent 
violence. 

]May  8.  —  The  Dry  Dock  Bank  stops  payment  to-day.  There 
was  a  meeting  yesterday  at  the  Mayor's  office  of  the  presidents  and 
cashiers  of  the  other  banks  in  relation  to  the  subject  of  helping  the 
Dry  Dock  Bank.  I  saw  the  Mayor  in  the  afternoon,  who  told  me 
that  they  refused  unanimously  to  come  forward,  on  his  representa- 
tion that  it  was  out  of  the  question.  This  bank,  with  a  capital  of 
$200,000,  has  discounted  to  the  amount  of  $1,200,000.  It  is  not  a 
safety-fund  bank,  but  one  of  the  pets  selected  by  the  government 
as  a  safer  depository  of  the  public  money  than  the  Bank  of  the 
United  States,  and  has  a  government  deposit  of  $280,000,  which 
will  go  in  part  payment  of  the  cost  of  the  fatal  experiment. 

But  three  banks  at  Buffalo,  all  safety-fund  banks,  are  under  in- 
junction and  their  doors  closed.  The  Legislature  immediately 
passed  an  act  directing  the  bank  commissioners  to  assume  the  pay- 
ment of  their  notes,  which  will  consequently  be  received  and  paid 
at  the  .Manhattan  Bank.  This  will  probably  sweep  away  the  famous 
safety-fund.  The  bubble  will  burst,  and  the  public  creditors  of 
rotten  banks  will  look  in  vain  hereafter  to  that  delusive  hope  for 
protection  from  loss.  Where  will  it  all  end  ?  In  ruin,  revolution, 
perhaps  civil  war. 

May  9.  —  The  meeting  of  merchants  took  place  last 

AieTting.         evening,  at  Masonic  Hall,  in  pursuance  of  a  resolution 

adopted  at  the  meeting  of  the  25th  of  April,  to  receive 

the  report  of  the  committee  appointed  to  go  to  Washington.  Great 

anxiety  prevailed  throughout  the  city  in  relation  to  this  meeting ; 


1S37]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  255 

fears  were  entertained  that  in  the  present  excited  state  of  the  public 
mind,  particularly  of  that  part  of  the  communitj'  of  which  the  com- 
mittee were  a  part,  violent  proceedings  might  take  place,  and 
tumult  and  disorder  destroy  all  chance  of  producing  good  by  the 
meeting,  —  proceedings  which  would  be  an  example  and  sanction  to 
the  lower  orders  of  the  people  when  bent  (as  they  will  soon  be) 
upon  mischief  of  some  sort.  I  partook  largely  of  these  feelings,  and 
determined  to  exert  all  my  powers  and  influence  to  give  a  proper 
direction  to  the  action  of  the  committee  of  arrangements  for  the 
great  meeting,  and  a  hard  time  I  have  had  of  it.  We  met  at  three 
o'clock,  at  Delmonico's.  The  report  of  the  Washington  committee, 
which  was  prepared  by  Isaac  S.  Hone,  is  exceedingly  well  done.  It 
was  adopted,  with  some  amendment ;  resolutions  were  proposed, 
true  enough  and  very  good  ;  but,  having  been  prepared  under  strong 
excitement  and  a  sense  of  injuries  inflicted  by  the  government 
were  so  strong,  in  my  judgment,  as  to  defeat  the  object  we  have  in 
view,  viz.,  to  raise  up  a  party  opposed  to  the  men  who  have  brought 
us  into  our  present  unhappy  situation.  One  in  particular  charged 
the  President  with  statements  "unfounded  in  fact;"  to  this  I 
made  serious  objections,  but  without  avail,  until  I  was  compelled 
to  declare  that  I  would  not  preside  at  the  meeting  unless  the  lan- 
guage I  objected  to  was  stricken  from  the  resolution.  I  prevailed, 
and  was  allowed  to  alter  the  resolution,  which  was  then  adopted. 

The  great  meeting  took  place  at  half-past  seven.  The  same 
officers  were  appointed ;  the  report  and  resolutions  were  read  by 
Isaac  S.  Hone,  who  made  an  excellent  address,  explaining  and 
elucidating  some  points  in  the  report.  Mr.  Bryan  was  loudly  called 
for,  and  made  a  good  speech.  The  report  was  accepted,  the  reso- 
lutions adopted,  the  meeting  adjourned,  and  the  immense  multitude 
retired  without  the  slightest  act  of  indecorum,  much  to  the  mortifi- 
cation of  some  of  the  adherents  of  the  party  in  power,  who  hoped 
that  this  assemblage  of  the  finest  fellows  in  the  State  of  New  York 
would,  by  some  act  of  violence,  destroy  the  influence  which  the 
justness  of  their  cause  begins  already  to  produce  in  the  minds  of 


2S6  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  57. 

men  of  all  parties,  and  which  will  undoubtedly  rend  the  State  from 
IMr.  Van  Buren  at  the  next  election.  I  am  thankful  that  the  situa- 
tion in  which  I  was  placed  enabled  me  to  infuse  a  spirit  of  modera- 
tion into  the  proceedings.  As  they  are,  they  do  us  credit,  and  will 
have  a  favourable  influence  over  the  minds  of  men  in  other  parts  of 
the  country. 

A  constant  nm  was  made  to-day  for  specie  on  all  the  other  banks, 
which  will  inevitably  drain  them  all  in  a  week,  T/ie  banks  will  be 
compelled  to  suspend  the  payment  of  specie,  and  the  Legislature  must 
pass  an  act,  before  they  adjourn,  to  suspend,  for  a  given  period,  the 
operation  of  the  law  forfeiting  the  charters  of  banks  refusing  to  pay 
specie.  Mr.  Van  Buren's  precious  safety-fund  cries  "  Enough  !  "  on 
receiving  the  first  blow ;  the  rotten  fabric  falls  like  the  walls  of 
Jericho  on  the  first  blast  of  the  trumpet. 

The  Crisis,—  ^^^  ^°- — ^^^  experiment  has  succeeded;  the 
Banks sus.  volcano  has  burst  and  overwhelmed  New  York;  the 
^''"  *"  ■  glory  of  her  merchants  is  departed.     After  a  day  of 

unexampled  excitement,  and  a  ruthless  run  upon  all  the  banks, 
which  drew  from  their  vaults  $600,000  in  specie  yesterday,  nearly 
as  much  having  been  drawn  on  Monday,  the  officers  held  a  meeting 
last  evening  and  resolved  to  suspend  specie  payments. 

It  was  inevitable ;  and  the  banks  will  be  sustained  in  this  meas- 
ure by  all  good  citizens.  The  Legislature  must  pass  an  act  imme- 
diately, suspending  the  operation  of  that  part  of  the  safety-fund 
law  which  annuls  their  charters  on  a  refusal  to  pay  specie ;  other- 
wise we  shall  be  worse  off  than  ever,  having  no  circulating  medium 
at  all.  They  must  also  repeal  the  law  which  forbids  the  issuing  of 
bank-notes  under  five  dollars.  I  regret  the  necessity  for  the  latter 
measure,  having  been  always  in  favour  of  the  law.  It  worked  well, 
and  would  have  continued  to  do  so  but  for  the  accursed  Jackson 
and  Benton  experiment  (the  word  makes  me  sick.  I  wish  it  could 
be  drummed  out  of  the  English  language). 

The  savings-bank  also  sustained  a  most  grievous  run  yesterday. 
They   paid    three    hundred    and  seventy- five  depositors  $S  1,000. 


iS37-]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  257 

The  press  was  awful ;  the  hour  for  closing  the  bank  is  six  o'clock, 
but  they  did  not  get  through  the  paying  of  those  who  were  in  at 
that  time  until  nine  o'clock.  I  was  there  with  the  other  trustees, 
and  witnessed  the  madness  of  the  people,  —  women  nearly  pressed 
to  death,  and  the  stoutest  men  could  hardly  sustain  themselves ;  but 
they  held  on  as  with  a  death's  grasp  upon  the  evidences  of  their 
claims,  and,  exhausted  as  they  were  with  the  pressure,  they  had 
strength  to  cry,  "  Pay  !  Pay  !  " 

While  we  were  in  session  intelligence  was  brought  that  the 
banks  had  suspended  specie  payments.  Great  fears  were  enter- 
tained that  these  measures  would  produce  serious  consequences 
when  they  became  known,  particularly  those  adopted  by  the  Bank 
for  Savings,  where  there  are  twenty-five  thousand  depositors,  and 
those  generally  of  the  poorest  and  most  ignorant  classes.  I  went 
down  this  morning ;  the  notice  was  hung  out  at  the  door  of  the 
bank.  A  crowd  was  collected,  which  continued  during  the  day, 
but  I  do  not  think  there  were  at  any  time  more  than  one  hundred 
persons.  Some  were  a  little  savage,  but  they  seemed  to  require 
explanation  only.  It  was  a  sort  of  recompense  for  their  disap- 
pointment, which  they  were  entitled  to ;  and  when  I  addressed 
them,  and  some  of  the  other  trustees  who  were  present  made  the 
explanations  they  wanted,  they  were  easily  pacified,  and  went  away, 
by  the  tens  and  twenties,  tolerably  well  reconciled  to  their  disap- 
pointment, and  two  hours  before  sunset  the  street  was  cleared. 

In  the  afternoon  the  trustees  met  in  the  Mayor's  office.  I  was 
mortified  to  be  there,  and  expressed  myself  freely  in  reprobation  of 
the  pusillanimity  which  led  them  to  give  up  the  ship  of  which  they 
had  the  command,  I  do  not  know  by  whose  order  the  place  of 
meeting  was  changed  at  this  interesting  moment ;  but  it  was  a 
sneaking  affair,  and  most  of  the  trustees  thought  so. 

During  the  day  Wall  street  was  greatly  crowded  ;  but  there  was 
no  riot  or  tumult.  On  the  contrary,  men's  countenances  wore  a 
more  cheerful  aspect  than  for  several  days  past.  The  suspension 
of  specie  payments  will  restore  confidence,  the  men  of  capital  will 


258  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [^tat.57. 

suffer  by  the  ileterioration  of  the  value  of  the  circulating  medium, 
and  John  Bull  (if  he,  too,  has  not  been  compelled  to  adopt  the 
same  measure  ere  this)  will  scold  furiously,  and  stigmatize  the 
Yankees  as  a  nation  of  swindlers ;  but  honest  men  who  are  in  debt 
and  wish  to  pay,  and  mechanics  who  are  willing  to  work,  will  have 
cause  to  rejoice.  As  for  myself,  I  am  in  the  first  predicament,  and 
cry,  Laus  Deo  !  The  limb  is  amputated,  the  symmetry  of  the  body 
spoiled,  but  the  life  of  the  patient  is  saved.  The  new  mayor  has 
done  his  duty  like  a  man.  The  troops  were  out  during  the  day, 
and  Major-General  Hays,  with  his  regiment  of  Clubadiers,  have 
shown  themselves  at  various  points  in  strong  force.  Thus  ends 
this  most  eventful  day. 

May  II.  —  A  dead  calm  has  succeeded  the  stormy  weather  of 
Wall  street  and  the  other  places  of  active  business.  All  is  still  as 
death ;  no  business  is  transacted,  no  bargains  made,  no  negotia- 
tions entered  into ;  men's  spirits  are  better,  because  the  danger  of 
universal  ruin  is  thought  to  be  less  imminent.  A  slight  ray  of  hope 
is  to  be  seen  in  countenances  where  despair  only  dwelt  for  the  last 
fortnight,  but  all  is  wrapped  in  uncertainty.  Nobody  can  foretell 
the  course  matters  will  take.  The  fever  is  broken ;  but  the  patient 
is  in  a  sort  of  syncope,  exhausted  by  the  violence  of  the  disease 
and  the  severity  of  the  remedies. 

May  12.  —  The  banks  of  Philadelphia  suspended  specie  pay- 
ments yesterday,  except  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  and  that 
must  follow.  It  is  impossible  that  that  institution,  mighty  as  it  is, 
and  reluctant  to  enter  into  the  measure,  can  stand  alone. 

The  Baltimore  banks  have  also  suspended.  It  cannot  fail  to 
become  general.  The  commercial  distress  and  financial  embarrass- 
ment pervade  the  whole  nation.  Posterity  may  get  out  of  it,  but 
the  sun  of  the  present  generation  will  never  again  shine  out. 
Things  will  grow  better  gradually,  from  the  curtailment  of  business, 
but  the  glory  has  departed.  Jackson,  Van  Buren,  and  Benton 
form  a  triumvirate  more  fatal  to  the  prosperity  of  America  than 
Caesar,  Pompey,  and  Crassus  were  to  the  liberties  of  Rome. 


1S37]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  259 


News  from 
England. 


The  London  packet-ship  "  WelHngton  "  arrived  yes- 
terday, bringing  news  to  the  fourteenth  of  last  month. 
Everything  in  England  is  tending  to  a  commercial  crisis 
like  that  in  which  we  are  placed.  The  great  American  house  of 
George  ^V"ildes  &  Co.  has  been  sustained  by  the  Bank  of  England. 
They  owe  the  enormous  sum  of  two  million  pounds.  The  bank 
sustains  them,  because,  if  they  fall,  they  must  carry  all  the  others 
with  them.  The  United  States  must  ruin  all  the  American  houses, 
and  they  in  their  turn  will  cause  such  general  embarrassments  that 
even  the  Bank  of  England  will  not  be  able  to  stand. 

Mw  19.  —  A  Baltimore  paper,  after  stating  the  report  (which 
does  not  distress  me  as  much  as  some  things  which  I  have  heard, 
seen,  and  felt)  that  General  Jackson  "  has  lost  by  the  recent 
commercial  reverses  so  large  a  sum  as  to  render  it  possible  that 
his  old  age  may  be  one  of  poverty  even,  instead  of  ease  and  opu- 
lence," introduces  the  following  beautiful  extract,  than  which 
nothing  can  be  imagined  more  appropriate  :  — 

"  So,  the  struck  eagle,  stretched  upon  the  plain, 
No  more  through  rolling  clouds  to  soar  again, 
Views  his  own  feather  on  the  fatal  dart 
That  winged  the  shaft  that  quivers  in  his  heart 
Keen  are  his  pangs,  but  keener  far  to  feel 
He  nursed  the  pinion  that  impelled  the  steel." 

May  20.  —  The  part  of  Beatrice  is,  I  think,  the 
Ellen  Tree,  bcst  of  her  acting.  She  played  it  last  night,  for  her 
benefit,  to  a  full  house.  There  is  a  refinement,  a  grace, 
about  her  which  suits  the  character.  Miss  Tree  has  not  the  force 
of  Fanny  Kemble,  but  more  sweetness.  She  has  less  genius,  but 
more  nature.  The  Beatrice  of  the  former  is  a  virago ;  the  latter 
makes  her  a  spoiled  child  ripened  into  a  wa>nvard,  fascinating  co- 
quette, but  a  lady  always. 

My  daughter  and  I  called  the  other  day  upon  Miss  Tree,  and 
left  an  invitation  to  dinner  for  to-day.  She  declined,  pleading  a 
promise  to  play  this  evening  for  Hill's  benefit.     She  returned  our 


260  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

visit  yesterday.  I  was  not  at  home.  My  daughters  were  exceed- 
ingly pleased  with  her,  and  enjoyed  her  visit  greatly.  All  who 
know  this  lady,  at  home  and  here,  speak  of  her  in  warm  terms  of 
commendation.  She  is  intelligent,  modest,  and  agreeable,  and 
wholly  uncontaminated  by  her  profession. 

The  following  party  dined  with  us :  Captain  Marryat,  I.  S. 
Hone,  Bankhead,  Dr.  McLean,  Hay,  President  Duer,  William 
Johnson,  R.  Freeman,  Henry  Brevoort,  and  Stevenson. 

The  lion,  Captain  Marryat,  is  no  great  things  of  a  lion,  after  all. 
In  truth,  the  author  of  "  Peter  Simple  "  and  "Jacob  Faithful  "  is  a 
very  every-day  sort  of  a  man.  He  carries  about  him  in  his  manner 
and  conversation  more  of  the  sailor  than  the  author,  has  nothing  stu- 
dent-like in  his  appearance,  and  savours  more  of  the  binnacle  lamp 
than  that  of  the  study.  He  appears  pleased  with  the  little  he  has 
seen  of  this  country,  and  very  desirous  to  see  more ;  but  the  bad 
times  will  deprive  him  of  much  of  the  attention  and  hospitality  to 
which  his  talents  and  celebrity  entitle  him. 

May  22.  —  The  loss  of  life  by  steamboats  in  this 
bumTd  °^  country,  and  especially  on  the  Western  waters,  is  sliock- 
ing  in  the  extreme,  and  a  stigma  on  our  country ;  for 
these  accidents  (as  they  are  called)  seldom  occur  in  Europe,  where 
they  do  not  understand  the  art  and  mystery  of  steam  devices,  or, 
indeed,  of  ship-building,  better  than  we  do.  But  we  have  become 
the  most  careless,  reckless,  headlong  people  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  "  Go  ahead  "  is  our  maxim  and  pass-word  ;  and  we  do  go 
ahead  with  a  vengeance,  regardless  of  consequences  and  indifferent 
about  the  value  of  human  life.  What  are  a  few  hundred  persons, 
more  or  less  ?  There  are  plenty  in  this  country,  and  more  coming 
every  day ;  and  a  few  years  in  the  life  of  a  man  makes  very  little 
difference  in  comparison  with  the  disgrace  of  a  steamboat  being 
beaten  in  her  voyage  by  a  rival  craft. 

May  25.  —  The  English  writers  indulge  themselves 

greatly  of  late    in  quoting  out-of-the-way  words  and 

queer  sayings  peculiar  to  the  people  of  this  country. 

I  reckon,"  as  Brother  Jonathan  says  ;  "  go  the  whole  hog,"  to  use 


American- 
isms. 


1837-]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  261 

a  Yankee  expression ;  and  other  phrases  of  that  kind  which  occur 
frequently  in  the  novels  and  stories  with  which  the  British  press 
abounds,  prove  that  they  begin  to  take  a  little  notice  of  us,  and  we 
shall  soon  become  as  proud  as  the  happy  individual  who  boasted 
that  the  prince  on  a  certain  occasion  had  honoured  him  by  his 
notice,  and  ordered  him  to  stand  out  of  the  way. 

May  26.  —  A  deadly  calm  pervades  this  lately  flourishing  city. 
No  goods  are  selling,  no  business  stirring,  no  boxes  encumber  the 
sidewalks  of  Pearl  street ;  stocks  have  fallen  again,  but  not  back  to 
the  prices  at  which  they  were  before  the  suspension  of  specie  pay- 
ments. No  remittances  come  from  other  States,  and  even  where 
debtors  are  able  and  willing  to  pay,  there  is  no  means  of  getting 
the  funds  to  New  York.  The  French  and  English  packets  are 
greatly  behindhand,  as  if  to  give  us  all  the  bad  news  they  will 
bring  in  one  grand  coup.  In  the  upper  part  of  the  city  we  shiver 
under  the  chilly  blasts  of  a  backward  spring,  and  burn  more  coal 
than  we  can  afford  to  pay  for.  Very  few  houses  are  being  built, 
except  in  some  cases  like  mine,  where  we  began  before  the  "  evil 
day  "  came,  and  must  go  on.  Lots  which  a  year  ago  were  like 
"  rough-edge  guineas,"  and  brought  any  price  for  fear  they  might 
run  away,  stand  now  in  the  same  places,  and  do  not  look  nearly  so 
pleasant  nor  so  valuable  as  they  did  then.  "  Gold  and  silver  we 
have  none,"  and  there  is  no  change  either  in  our  prospects  or  our 
currency.  No  man  has  anything  to  comfort  him  unless  it  is  he 
who  is  out  of  debt,  and  has  no  sympathy  for  the  misfortunes  of  his 
neighbours. 

May  27.  —  I  dined  with  the  gov^erning  committee  of  the  Union 
Club,  the  first  dinner  in  the  club  house,  No.  343  Broadway. 
The  house  will  be  open  to  the  subscribers  on  Thursday  next.  It  is 
well  fitted  up,  the  furniture  neat  and  handsome ;  the  servants  are 
good,  and,  above  all,  there  is  a  most  recherche  chef  de  cuisine. 
Subscribers  will  get  a  better  dinner  and  pay  less  for  it  than  at  any 
hotel  in  town.  It  is  a  great  resource  for  bachelors  and  men 
"about  town  :  "  but  I   do  not  see  how  we  married  men  can  be 


262  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.57. 

induced  to  leave  our  comfortable  homes  and  families  to  dine  "en 
gar(on "  at  the  club,  even  under  the  temptation  of  Monsieur 
Julien's  bon  diners  a  la  Paris. 

May  29.  —  Captain  Marryat  called  to  see  us  this  morning.  I 
like  him  better  than  I  did  at  first ;  but  he  has  very  little  refinement 
of  manner,  and  his  conversation  does  not  partake  of  the  ease  and 
fluency  which  characterize  his  writings. 

May  30.  —  Mr.  Webster,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  is  making  a 
tour  of  the  Western  States.  He  has  been  received  in  all  the  princi- 
pal toNvns  with  great  demonstrations  of  respect.  Public  dinners  and 
barbecues  have  been  tendered  to  him  in  great  profusion,  and 
speeches  made  and  answered  at  every  place  where  there  was  a  town- 
house  or  hotel  large  enough  to  hold  the  people.  Even  in  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  General  Jackson's  own  dunghill,  a  public  meeting  of 
the  citizens  was  held,  and  a  deputation  appointed  to  invite  him  to 
partake  of  the  hospitalities  of  the  town.  It  would  be  amusing  to 
see  Mr.  Webster  at  a  Tennessee  barbecue,  with  General  Jackson 
as  one  of  his  entertainers,  —  the  man  who  has  done  more  mischief 
to  the  country  than  any  other,  proposing  the  health  of  him  who  has 
done  the  most  to  avert  it. 

Mr.  Webster  is  boldly  nominated  in  many  of  the  Whig  papers 
for  the  next  President  after  the  curse  of  Jacksonism  shall  have  been 
removed  from  the  land.  This  is  premature ;  but  it  may  be  the 
means  of  keeping  out  of  the  field  second-rate  men,  on  whom  the 
party  cannot  unite.  I  am  clear  for  using  the  best  materials  we 
have.  Webster  or  Clay,  —  nothing  short  of  this.  If  we  cannot 
have  either,  then  let  the  dear  people  have  another  dose  of  Van 
Buren. 

May  31. — We  rode  out  this  afternoon  to  Mr.  Schermerhom's. 
The  weather  is  now  warm  and  pleasant  and  the  country  beautiful. 
The  grass  will  grow,  though  desolation  stalks  through  the  streets 
of  our  city ;  the  trees  will  put  forth  their  leaves  and  blossom,  not- 
withstanding the  suspension  of  all  profitable  business ;  the  flowers 
are  dressed  in  all  their  gaudy  and  smiUng  array,  as  if  to  mock  the 


1837-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  263 

melancholy  faces  of  the  suffering  merchants ;  and  the  birds  sing 
merrily,  regardless  of  the  sighs  and  groans  of  the  lords  of  creation. 
June  2.  —  My  wife  and  I  drove  out  this  afternoon  to  visit  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Hoyt,  who  are  living  very  pleasantly  at  Mr.  Post's 
place,  at  Manhattanville,  which  belonged  once  to  Lord  Courtney. 
It  is  one  of  the  finest  places  on  the  Island.  President  and  Mrs. 
Duer  were  of  our  party. 

Pr'nce  Louis  JuNE  12.  —  This  youthful  scion  of  the  Bonaparte 
Nupoieon  stock,  who  was  exiled  for  ten  years  from  France  for 
Bonaparte.  ^  gjjj^  attempt  at  levolt  made  by  him  at  Strasburgh, 
after  walking  Broadway  during  the  last  three  or  four  weeks,  sailed 
to-day  in  the  "  George  Washington  "  for  Liverpool.  The  ill-health  of 
his  mother  is  the  alleged  cause  of  his  sudden  return.  He  will  go 
from  England  to  Germany.  He  had  better  have  stayed  where  he 
was,  for  he  is  likely  to  get  into  new  scrapes  where  he  is  going. 
His  formal  attempt  was  not  of  a  nature  to  create  much  alarm,  or 
Louis  Philippe  would  not  have  let  him  slip  through  his  fingers 
when  he  had  him. 

June  23.  —  The  number  of  new  books  coming  out 
New  Books,  every  day  from  the  English  press,  as  well  as  ours,  sets  at 
defiance  the  hope  of  keeping  up  with  those,  even,  whose 
merits,  or  the  circumstance  of  a  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
author,  or  other  local  or  individual  interest,  render  it  incumbent 
upon  one  to  read.  Besides  the  standard  French  and  English  works 
which  my  late  visit  to  Europe  leads  me  to  peruse,  I  am  now  reading 
Bulvver's  "Athens,"  —  a  new  work  highly  spoken  of,  —  when  down 
comes  the  second  volume  of  Lockhart's  "  Life  of  Walter  Scott,"  which 
(as  I  have  read  the  first)  is  irresistible.  Then  comes  the  funny 
"Pickwick  Papers,"  which,  though  lighter,  shoves  aside  the  others. 
Then,  Miss  Martineau's  "  Society  in  America,"  which  some  say  is  very 
saucy,  and  others  very  good,  cannot  be  neglected  if  one  would  be 
in  the  fashion ;  and  every  feeling  of  good  taste  and  friendship  and 
patriotism  calls  upon  us  to  lay  everything  else  aside  and  read 
Washington  Irving's  "  Adventures  of  Captain  Bonneville." 


264  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.57; 

July  4.  —  The  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  our  country  was 
marked  by  most  delicious  weather.  I  wrote  until  noon,  then 
walked  down  to  see  the  crowd  as  far  as  St.  Paul's  Church.  The 
bells  were  ringing  a  merry  peal  in  honour  of  the  day.  Their  sounds 
proclaimed  the  liberty  and  independence  of  my  country ;  but  now, 
for  the  first  time,  there  appeared  to  me  mockery  in  those  sounds. 
The  glory  seemed  to  have  departed.  We  are  nominally  in  the  en- 
joyment of  the  liberty  which  was  bequeathed  to  us  by  the  men  of  the 
Revolution ;  we  have  the  glorious  Constitution  which  they  framed 
for  us,  but  eight  years  of  misrule  has  left  us  nothing  but  the  empty 
name.  Independent,  too,  we  are  of  foreign  control, — and  long  may 
God  preserve  us  so  !  —  but  the  tyranny  of  public  opinion,  supporting 
measures  of  the  most  oppressive  character,  has  destroyed  that  proud 
and  manly  personal  independence  which  was  heretofore  the  charac- 
teristic of  my  countrymen,  and  men  are  governed  by  self-interest, 
or  bound  down  by  a  strong,  but  invisible,  chain  of  party-spirit,  a 
badge  of  slavery  like  that  of  Wamba,  or  the  Serf  of  the  North. 

August  i.  — The  packets  which  sailed  to-day  took  out  a  million 
and  a  half  of  gold  and  silver,  and  no  American  passengers  ;  this  is 
as  it  should  be.  We  must  not  buy  any  more  goods  or  spend  any 
more  money  in  Europe  until  we  have  paid  all  we  owe  them.  That 
is  the  only  way  to  get  out  of  the  present  scrape.  If  remittances 
continue  in  this  way,  with  the  aid  of  one  or  two  cotton  crops,  and 
the  realization  of  the  present  glorious  prospects  for  the  harvest,  we 
shall  not  only  get  right,  but  the  character  of  our  merchants  will 
stand  higher  than  ever  among  the  nations  of  the  earth ;  for  they  will 
have  evinced  a  determination  to  be  honest  in  despite  of  the  exer- 
tions of  a  corrupt  government  to  make  them  otherwise. 

The  dial  of  the  clock  in  the  cupola  of  the  City  Hall  was  illumi- 
nated last  night,  and  made  a  splendid  appearance  through  the 
foliage  of  the  trees  in  the  park.  It  was  attempted  six  or  seven 
years  ago,  but  soon  discontinued,  for  some  cause  or  other.  A  Whig 
corporation  has  been  more  successful,  in  this  instance  at  least,  in 
enlightening  their  constituents. 


1837.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  265 

August  9.  —  I  was  one  of  a  party  of  twenty-four  who  dined  on 
turde  to-day  at  the  Union  Club  House.  The  dinner  was  execrable, 
for  a  French  artiste  de  cuisine  knows  nothing  about  turtle  ;  but  we 
had  good  punch  and  wine,  some  excellent  songs,  many  good  jokes, 
laughing  in  season  and  out  of  season,  and  noise  not  a  little,  for  we 
had  John  and  Charles  King,  Bibby,  John  Stevens,  Otis,  etc.,  to  say 
nothing  of  myself.  Chancellor  Jones  presided,  who  is  as  punctual 
in  filling  the  seat  at  the  head  of  the  club  table  as  that  on  the  bench 
of  the  Supreme  Court. 

August  31.  —  The  ocean  has,  by  the  accuracy  of  nautical  skill, 
been  almost  converted  into  a  railway  or  turnpike  road.  The  fol- 
lowing circumstance  is  worthy  of  note  :  the  packet-ships  "  South 
America,"  Captain  Barstow,  and  "  Garrick,"  Captain  Robinson, 
sailed  from  New  York  on  the  ist  of  July,  and  entered  the  Mersey 
together  after  a  fine  run  of  eighteen  days.  The  two  ships  were  in 
sight  of  each  other  for  2,000  out  of  the  3,000  miles  between  New 
York  and  Liverpool. 

September  4.  — Wallack  opened  the  National  Theatre 
Thertre  ^^^^  ^^^  Italian  Opera  House)  this  evening,  with  the 

comedy  of  "  The  Rivals."  He  has  brought  with  him 
from  England  a  very  strong  company,  several  of  whom  appeared 
this  evening.  I  never  saw  a  play  go  off  with  more  spirit.  Wallack, 
in  the  dashing  part  of  Captain  Absolute,  with  a  handsome  scarlet  uni- 
form coat,  and  his  one  beautiful  leg  (the  other  being  a  little  crooked 
ever  since  he  broke  it  by  being  upset  in  the  stage  at  Brunswick), 
made  a  most  captivating  entree,  was  received  with  great  applause,  and 
made,  at  the  falling  of  the  curtain,  one  of  the  best,  most  graceful,  and 
eloquent  speeches  I  ever  heard  on  such  an  occasion.  But  I  fear  he 
will  not  succeed.  The  National  is  the  prettiest  theatre  in  the 
United  States ;  but  it  is  not  in  Broadway,  and  the  New  Yorkers  are 
the  strangest  people  in  the  world  in  their  predilection  for  fashionable 
locations.  In  Paris  the  theatres  are  scattered  over  the  whole  city, 
and  the  f:ishionable  milliners,  jewellers,  tailors,  and  all  those  who 
depend  for  their  support  upon  the  gay,  the  rich,  and  the   fashion- 


266  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.57. 

able,  are  to  be  found  in  by-streets,  or  in  the  mazes  of  narrow, 
dark  alleys;  but  our  people  must  have  their  amusements  thrust 
under  their  noses,  and  a  shopkeeper,  if  he  hopes  to  succeed 
in  business,  must  pay  a  rent  of  $4,000  or  $5,000  in  Broad- 
way, when  he  might  be  equally  well  accommodated  for  $600  or 
$Soo  ten  doors  from  it.  But  there  is  a  greater  obstacle  to  the 
success  of  the  new  establishment  in  the  great  number  of  theati^s 
at  present  open  in  the  city,  each  one  of  whom  has  some  "  bright 
particular  star"  shining  to  attract  and  dazzle  the  eyes  of  the 
multitude. 

It  is  almost  incredible  that  in  these  times  of  distress,  when  the 
study  of  economy  is  so  great  an  object,  there  should  be  nine  of 
these  money  drains  in  operation  :  The  Park  ;  the  old  Drury,  of  New 
York,  which  has  done  well  during  the  whole  of  the  hard  times ;  the 
Bowery,  with  Jim  Crow,  who  is  made  to  repeat  nightly,  almost  ad 
infinitum,  his  balderdash  song,  which  has  now  acquired  the  stamp 
of  London  approbation  to  increase  its  eclat;  the  Franklin,  in 
Chatham  square;  Miss  Monier's  Theatre,  in  Broadway,  opposite 
St.  Paul's, — litde  and  weakly,  and  likely  to  die  ;  the  Euterpean  Hall, 
Broadway,  below  Canal  street, — short-lived,  also,  I  suspect;  the 
Broadway  Theatre,  next  to  Tattersall's,  which  has  been  handsomely 
fitted  up,  and  is  to  be  opened  next  week ;  Mrs.  Hamblin's  Theatre, 
formerly  Richmond  Hill,  where  the  Italian  opera  first  placed  its 
unstable  foot  in  New  York ;  the  Circus,  in  Vauxhall  Garden,  nearly 
in  the  rear  of  my  house  ;  and  Niblo's  Vaudevilles,  —  the  best  concern 
of  the  whole  at  present,  with  a  strong  company  playing  little  pieces 
a  la  fran^aise.  Concerts,  and  rope-dancing,  and  other  perform- 
ances of  the  Ravel  family,  consisting  of  eight  or  ten  of  the  most 
astonishing  performers  in  their  line  who  have  ever  appeared  in  this 
city.     If  Wallack  can  stand  all  this,  he  is  immortal. 

September  6.  —  The  President's  message  was  sent  to 

Presi  ent  s       Congress  ou  Tuesday.     It  is  a  long  document,  written 

with  ability,  but  the  most  mischievous  in  its  tendency 

that  has  ever  been  presented  to  the  American  people.     It  is  loco- 


I837-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  26/ 

foco  to  the  very  core.  It  echoes  the  ophiions  on  the  subject  of 
finance  of  General  Jackson,  Colonel  Benton,  and  Blair,  of  the 
"Globe;"  recommends  a  separation  of  the  fiscal  concerns  of  the 
government  from  all  the  banks,  and  the  substitution  of  the  Treasury 
Department,  and  the  issuing  of  treasury  notes  as  a  national 
currency,  by  which  means  all  power  will  be  concentrated  in  the 
hands  of  the  executive  and  his  myrmidons.  It  abuses  the  mer- 
chants, coaxes  the  agriculturists,  and  tries,  as  usual,  to  humbug  the 
people.  If  the  doctrines  of  this  message  are  approved  and  sup- 
ported by  the  representatives  of  the  people,  adieu  to  the  present 
prosperity  and  future  hopes  of  America  !  If  not,  Mr.  Van  Buren's 
career  is  closed  forever. 

There  are  many  gross  misrepresentations  in  this  message.  The 
President  puts  forth  his  veto  in  advance  on  a  Bank  of  the  United 
States,  and  thereby  deprives  us  of  the  chance  of  the  only  remedy 
(in  my  opinion)  for  the  distresses  and  embarrassments  of  our  mer- 
chants. The  following  paragraph  occurs  on  this  subject :  "  Again, 
to  create  a  national  bank  as  a  fiscal  agent  would  be  to  disregard 
the  popular  will,  twice  solemnly  and  unequivocally  expressed.  On 
no  question  of  domestic  policy  is  there  stronger  evidence  that  the 
sentiments  of  a  large  majority  are  deliberately  fixed,  and  I  cannot 
concur  with  those  who  think  they  see,  in  recent  events,  a  proof 
that  these  sentiments  are,  or  a  reason  that  they  should  be, 
changed."  Now  this  is  not  true,  and  the  falsehood  is  advanced 
with  so  much  boldness  only  to  blind  the  eyes  of  the  people  who  do 
not,  one  in  ten  of  them,  understand  the  subject.  If  the  opinions 
of  the  people  are  to  be  taken  from  those  of  their  representatives, 
they  demand  the  re-incorporation  of  the  late  Bank  of  the  United 
States ;  but  if  General  Jackson,  in  the  plenitude  of  his  withering 
power,  was  not  only  the  government  (as  he  styled  himself),  but  the 
people  also,  then  is  Mr.  Van  Buren's  assertion  correct,  for  he 
defeated  the  intentions  of  Congress  by  vetoing  the  act ;  and  that  he 
was  hostile  to  the  institution,  there  is,  unhappily,  the  most  abundant 
evidence. 


268  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.57. 


Wonderful 


September  7,  —  There   never  was  a  nation  on  the 
^         ,  face  of  the  earth  which  equalled  this  in  rapid  locomo- 

Despatch.  '■  ' 

tion.  The  President's  message  was  brought  on  to  this 
city,  by  railroad,  steamboats,  and  horsemen,  and  carried  from 
hence  to  Boston,  which  place  it  reached  in  the  inconceivably 
short  period  of  twenty- four  hours  from  Washington,  a  distance 
of  five  hundred  miles. 

Poor  Lynch  died  in  Paris,  on  the  31st  of  July.     He 
eat  o     om-  .^  ^^.^  .^  ^j^^  papers  which  announce  his  death  to  have 

inick  Lynch. 

been  fifty  years  of  age ;  but  I  think  it  must  be  a  mis- 
take. I  always  supposed  him  to  be  about  my  age.  How  deeply 
impressive  should  be  the  decease  of  such  a  man  !  How  many 
happy  hours  I  have  passed  in  his  society  !  No  man  has  ever  con- 
tributed so  much  to  the  refined  enjoyment  of  the  circle  in  which 
he  moved.  He  sang  and  played  beautifully,  was  the  ornament  of 
female  society,  and  infused  spirit  and  joviality  into  the  dinner- 
parties of  his  male  friends,  where  he  was  a  constant  and  favoured 
guest.  He  was  for  many  years  a  wine-merchant,  and  we  are  in- 
debted to  him  for  some  of  the  finest  we  have  ever  had.  He  intro- 
duced the  chateau  Margaux,  for  which  famous  vintage  he  contracted 
for  several  years,  and  furnished  it  finer  than  we  ever  had  it  before 
or  shall  have  it  again.  We  are  indebted  to  him  for  the  introduction 
of  the  Italian  opera,  and  the  inimitable  Signorina  Garcia,  and  her 
father  and  family  came  to  New  York  under  his  auspices.  He  also 
was  the  master-spirit  who  established  and  conducted  the  musical 
soirees,  a  few  years  since,  —  the  most  refined  entertainment  we  have 
ever  had.  And  now  poor  L>Tich  is  gone  ;  his  friends  will  utter  an 
exclamation  of  grief  when  they  hear  of  it,  and  his  family  will  put  on 
mourning,  but  not  a  glass  of  wine  less  will  be  drunk,  nor  will  one 
person,  except  his  immediate  relations,  deprive  himself  of  a  single 
amusement.  Like  a  stone  thrown  into  a  lake  which  agitates  the 
water  for  an  instant,  makes  a  few  retiring  circles,  and  leaves  no 
trace  upon  its  peaceful  surface  ;  so  his  death  will  leave  no  chasm 
in  the  bosom  of  the  society  of  which  he  was  so  great  an  ornament, 


I837-]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  269 

and  will  very  soon  be  forgotten  in  the  hurried  progress  of  this 
world's  events.  And  so  it  will  be  with  me,  and  with  all  of  us ;  and 
it  is  better  it  should  be  so.  This  life  is  too  short  to  be  spent  in 
unavailing  regrets.  Happy  would  it  be  for  the  survivors  to  reflect 
upon  the  insufficiencies  of  the  enjoyments  of  this  life  and  to  prepare 
"for  another  and  a  better  world." 

I  finished  my  job  of  removing  the  Madeira  wine  to  the  garret 
room  in  the  new  house,  where  it  is  nicely  arranged,  in  an  excellent 
place.  The  quantity  of  Madeira  and  sherry  removed  is  2,023 
quart  botdes  and  237  gallons. 

September  13.  —  Another  of  my  friends,  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful of  my  associates,  died  last  night  at  Windust's  Hotel,  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Leonard  street.  William  Gaston,  of  Savannah,  is  no 
more.  Mr.  Gaston  was  a  merchant  of  Savannah,  of  the  most 
exalted  and  honourable  stamp,  upright  in  his  dealings,  agreeable  in 
manner,  amiable  in  disposition,  benevolent  in  feeling,  and  hospi- 
table in  his  mode  of  living.  His  house  was  the  stranger's  home, 
and  Savannah  acknowledged  him  her  first  citizen.  I  have  passed 
many  happy  hours  in  his  company,  but  none  with  so  much  real 
enjoyment  as  when  I  visited  him  at  a  cottage  which  he  formerly 
owned  on  Long  Island,  at  the  Narrows,  near  Fort  Hamilton.  Here 
he  was  a  host  indeed,  gay,  entertaining,  and  eloquent ;  his  little 
dinners  witnessed  "  the  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul."  In 
large  parties  his  powers  were  not  always  excited  in  the  same 
degree ;  and  it  was  necessary  to  know  him  intimately  in  order  to 
know  what  was  in  him,  and  what  might  be  gotten  out  of  him. 
Like  all  persons  of  sanguine  temperament  and  enthusiastic  disposi- 
tion, his  spirits  were  unequal,  and  this  may  also  have  been  attributed 
in  him  to  another  cause,  peculiarly  applicable  to  him.  In  early 
life  he  was  engaged  to  marry  a  young  lady  in  New  Jersey  (Morris- 
town,  I  believe)  ;  he  left  New  York,  full  of  love  and  anticipations  of 
happiness,  to  fulfil  his  engagement,  when  he  found  the  object  of  his 
affection  dangerously  ill,  and  soon  followed  her  to  the  grave  instead 
of  the  altar.     This,  to  a  mind  of  exquisite  refinement  and  the  most 


270  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^tat.s;. 

acute  sensibility,  was  a  shock  never  to  be  recovered  from,  and  a 
loss  never  to  be  repaired.     He  lived  and  died  a  bachelor. 

September  19.  —  Forrest  made  his  first  appearance  since  his 
return,  at  the  Park  Theatre  last  evening,  in  the  part  of  Othello. 
I  was  there  a  short  time.  The  house  was  crammed  in  every  part, 
and  his  reception  warm  and  enthusiastic.  I  think  him  improving ; 
his  acting  is  more  quiet,  and  in  person,  deportment,  and  voice  the 
Senate  in  its  most  palmy  state  never  had  so  magnificent  a  com- 
mander, black  or  white,  nor  had  ever  Desdemona  so  good  an 
excuse  for  her  misplaced  affection. 

September  21.  —  Congress  are  making  very  little  progress  in  the 
important  business  for  which  they  were  called  together ;  the  object 
seems  to  be  to  develop  the  views  of  the  men  who  aspire  to  lead  the 
several  parties  which  hope  to  rise  to  political  power  in  the  turmoil 
which  attends  the  disordered  state  of  things.  Mr.  Rives  comes  out 
as  a  conservative  against  the  administration,  hoping  to  receive  the 
aid  of  the  Whigs  (a  pretty  strong  party,  thank  God  !)  to  hoist  him 
to  power ;  but  the  Whigs  are  not  to  be  had  for  him.  Mr.  Calhoun, 
theoretical  and  visionary  as  he  always  is,  has  hitched  upon  Van 
Buren,  but  will  not  acknowledge  it.  He  goes  South  against  North, 
and  would  support  the  devil  to  lessen  the  political  influence  of  New 
York.  He  has  sagacity  enough  to  discover  that  the  doctrines  and 
the  measures  of  "  New  York's  favourite  son  "  are  most  inimical  to 
New  York,  and  is  willing  to  support  his  suicidal  measures  to  accom- 
plish his  object.  Webster  and  Clay,  true  as  steel  to  the  best 
interests  of  the  country,  pursue  a  straightforward  course.  The 
people  must  come  to  them,  or  the  country  is  ruined,  and  it  really 
looks  now  as  if  they  were  coming  to  them.  Congress  will  do  noth- 
ing effectual  in  the  present  extra  session,  but  hope  is  not  broken. 

September   23.  —  Everybody  complains  of  the  suc- 

Libeis.  cess  which  attends  the  publication  of  libels  on  private 

character ;  everybody  condemns  the  depravity  of  the 

times  in  which,  and  the  community  by  which,  they  are  encouraged  ; 

everybody  wonders  how  people  can  buy  and  read  those  receptacles 


iS37]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  27 1 

of  scandal,  the  penny  papers,  and  yet  everybody  does  encourage 
them  ;  and  every  man  who  blames  his  neighbour  for  setting  so  bad 
an  example  occasionally  puts  one  in  his  pocket  to  carry  home  to 
his  family  for  their  and  his  own  edification.  It  is  only  for  amuse- 
ment, it  will  not  corrupt  his  morals.  It  is  bad  enough,  to  be  sure, 
but  the  sale  of  one  copy,  more  or  less,  will  not  make  any  difference 
in  the  circulation. 

The  foregoing  remarks  are  aptly  illustrated  in  the  following  re- 
marks in  an  English  newspaper,  written  no  doubt  by  one  of  the 
numerous  tribe  of  "  preachers,  not  doers  of  the  word  :  "  "  Charles 
Kemble  cudgelled  Westmacott,  editor  of  a  scurrilous  paper,  called 
the  'Age,'  for  libelling  his  daughter  Fanny  in  the  character  of  Ju- 
liet, shortly  previous  to  their  expedition  to  the  United  States ;  the 
editor,  however,  consoled  himself  for  these  dry  blows  by  the  pecu- 
niary profit  he  derived  from  the  sale  of  his  scandalous  chronicle, 
which  was  reprobated  by  everybody,  but  was  to  be  found  stowed 
under  the  sofa-cushion  in  every  drawing-room."  I  wonder  who 
cudgelled  Fanny  when  she  libelled  the  Yankees? 

September  28. —  I  attended  this  evening  a  meeting 
"odTt^"^''^  of  the  Historical  Society,  the  first  held  in  their  new 
rooms,  in  the  splendid  edifice  erected  by  the  Stu)^esant 
Institute,  in  Broadway,  opposite  Bond  street.  Three  rooms  have 
been  given  gratuitously  to  the  society  for  a  term  of  ten  years.  The 
library  (which  is  the  most  valuable  in  this  country  in  books  and 
manuscripts  relating  to  the  history  of  the  United  States,  particu- 
larly the  State  of  New  York)  has  been  well  and  tastefully  arranged, 
and  as  it  is  now  to  be  kept  open  during  several  hours  of  each  day, 
it  will  no  longer  be,  as  heretofore,  a  sealed  book  to  the  members. 

October  2.  —  I  went  this  evening  to  Vandenhoff's 
^^''■,^'^""         benefit,   at   the    National   Theatre.     The    house    was 

denhofl. 

crammed,  for  this  gentleman  has  gotten  into  the  good 
graces  of  the  New  York  audience,  and  my  friend  Wallack,  the 
proprietor,  has  found  him  a  good  card  to  play  against  Forrest  at 
the  Park.     Mr.  Vandenhoff  played  Hamlet,  and  young  Wilding  in 


272  THE  DIARY  OF  rillLIP  HONE.  [^tat.57. 

the  "Liar."  I  did  not  like  him  in  Hamlet.  I  consider  this  charac- 
ter the  most  beautiful  creation  of  the  human  imagination,  and  have 
some  notions  about  the  manner  of  playing  it  which  few  actors  can 
ever  come  up  to.  Cooper  did  in  his  best  days ;  so  did  Kean,  and, 
if  I  recollect  aright,  Conway  did  not  fall  much  short  of  it.  Van- 
denhoff  s  Hamlet  wanted  sensibility  and  pathos,  that  part  of  it  at 
least  which  I  saw,  for  I  came  away  in  the  middle  of  the  second 
act ;  but  Isaac  Hone,  whom  I  left  behind,  says  there  was  a  great 
improvement  as  the  play  proceeded,  and  that  it  closed  finely. 
Young  Wilding  was  capital.  Mr.  Vandenhoff's  reading  is  excellent, 
and  he  has,  by  long  practice,  acquired  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
stage. 

October  5 .  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Wallack,  at  the  Astor  House. 
The  dinner  was  given  to  Vandenhoff  at  the  close  of  his  engagement 
at  the  National  Theatre.  It  was  one  of  the  most  pleasant  affairs 
of  the  kind  I  have  ever  been  engaged  in.  The  dinner  was  capi- 
tal. I  never  saw  a  table  better  set  out,  better  provided,  or  a  dinner 
better  cooked.  The  party  was  principally  theatrical :  Wallack, 
Vandenhoff,  Rice,  Hackett,  Russell,  of  the  New  Orleans  Theatre, 
Captain  Marryat,  Mr.  Cramer,  Colonel  Webb,  Dr.  Holland,  etc. 
We  had  an  abundance  of  singing,  reciting,  story-telling,  and  imita- 
tions. Rice's  negro  songs  and  melodies  were  exceedingly  fine.  I 
never  heard  them  before  under  similar  advantages,  and  was  per- 
fectly astonished  at  Jim  Crow's  powers  in  that  department.  He  is 
one  of  the  most  entertaining  men  I  ever  met  in  company.  Wal- 
lack gave  us  a  beautiful  recitation.  It  was  a  description  of  a  ship- 
wreck, with  many  affecting  incidents,  as  related  by  two  different 
persons,  a  clergyman  and  a  sailor ;  they  were  as  different  as  the 
pursuits  and  professions  of  the  two  narrators ;  no  two  expressions 
were  alike,  and  yet  the  same  thrilling  incidents  were  described,  with 
the  same  touching  effect. 

There  was  a  fine  scene  between  Wallack  and  Vandenhoff.  The 
former  addressed  the  company  as  Lord  Meadowbanks  presiding  at 
the  theatrical  fund  dinner,  when  he  gave  the  famous  toast,   "  The 


iS37.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  273 

Author  of  Waverley,"  which  brought  out  Sir  Walter,  and  withdrew 
the  veil  from  the  great  "Unknown."  Vandenhoff  rose  as  Scott, 
and  made  the  acknowledgment  in  the  very  words  he  used  on  that 
interesting  occasion.  The  imitation  was  no  doubt  perfect,  for  there 
was  a  vraisemblance  about  it  which  could  not  be  mistaken  ;  it  was 
admirable.  I  sat  until  nearly  twelve  o'clock,  and  the  spirits  of  the 
company  were  then  far  from  being  exhausted. 

A  letter  is  published  in  our  papers  which  was  addressed,  during 
the  panic  in  London  about  American  affairs,  to  the  governor  and 
directors  of  the  Bank  of  England,  by  Lieutenant  R.  F.  Stockton,  of 
the  American  Navy.  This  gentleman  went  out  to  negotiate  a  loan 
for  the  railroad  and  canal  in  New  Jersey,  in  which  he  is  a  large 
proprietor.  What  authorized  him  to  volunteer  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  American  merchants  I  know  not ;  but  he  is  not  one  of 
the  timid  sort,  and  does  not  often  find  his  modesty  crossing  the 
path  of  his  undertakings.  At  any  rate,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  most 
excellent  sense  in  his  letter,  and  it  is  said  to  have  had  a  salutary 
effect  upon  the  decisions  of  the  bank,  and  done  more  to  enlighten 
the  public  mind  in  London  than  anything  which  has  been  "  said  or 
sung  "  on  the  subject  of  American  affairs.  The  following  paragraph 
appears  to  me  to  contain  in  few  words  the  essence  of  all  that  can 
be  said  about  the  connection  between  the  banks  and  the  people, 
and  places  the  whole  of  the  specie  "  humbug  "  in  a  proper  point  of 
view :  "  Men  of  wealth  who  hoard  up  gold  and  silver  do  not 
usually  borrow.  The  banks  loan  to  the  industrious  and  working 
classes,  and  cannot  of  course  receive  gold  and  silver  in  return. 
They  loan  on  personal  credit,  or  on  the  security  of  lands  and 
houses.  The  money  so  obtained  from  the  banks  is  paid  to  the 
labouring  classes,  and  the  moment  you  destroy  credit,  and  declare 
that  nothing  is  valuable  in  a  country  but  gold  and  silver,  the  notes 
come  back  to  the  bank  for  specie  which  they  did  not  represent, 
whilst  the  property  which  they  took  in  exchange  for  them,  and 
which  they  honestly  and  fairly  represented,  is  made  worthless  by 
evil  combinations,  and  will  not  be  received  in  payment." 


274  TPIE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP.  HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

Professor  McVickar,  in  his  most  elaborate  lecture  on  his  favourite 
science  of  political  economy,  never  elucidated  more  clearly  this 
knotty  subject  which  is  now  bothering  the  brains  of  all  the  thinking 
people  in  this  country,  than  this  lieutenant  of  the  navy  in  the  short 
passage  above  quoted,  and  Albert  Gallatin  and  Isaac  Bronson 
might  gather  some  useful  hints  on  banking  and  currency  from  one 
whose  trade  has  formerly  been  to  go  "  down  to  the  sea  in  ships." 
The  "  big  wigs  "  of  the  Bank  of  England  must  have  been  aston- 
ished at  being  schooled  in  such  a  quarter ;  but  the  writer's  maxim, 
like  that  of  his  country  and  his  profession,  is  "  nothing  venture, 
nothing  gain." 

October  16.  Contrary  to  my  forebodings,  and  the 
Congressional  fg^j-g  Qf  niany  houcst  men,  the  famous  sub-treasury  bill, 
the  device  which  was  intended  to  place  the  foot  of  the 
government  upon  the  necks  of  the  people,  was  laid  on  the  table,  on 
Friday  evening,  after  a  long  and  animated  debate,  not  to  be  taken 
up  again  during  this  memorable  extra  session.  Some  of  the  con- 
servatives, the  balance-of-power  men,  held  out  against  the  force 
of  party  discipline.  Congress  will  adjourn  to-day,  having  done 
nothing  but  pass  a  bill  to  extend  the  payment  of  bonds  for 
duties,  for  which  the  merchants  who  are  short  of  cash  will  thank 
them. 

In  the  course  of  Friday  evening's  debate  Cambreling  said 
something  saucy  to  Hoffman  about  his  changing  sides,  and 
alluded  to  his  having  served  in  the  navy,  where  he  learned  to 
"tack  and  veer."  This  attack  brought  a  reply  from  Hoffman, 
in  which  the  "  Commercial  Representative  "  was  absolutely  anni- 
hilated. It  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  scorching 
pieces  of  eloquence  ever  heard  on  that  floor.  Mr.  Adams  rose 
after  Hoffman  finished,  and  declared  that  he  had  intended  to 
reply  to  Cambreling,  but,  tearing  up  his  notes,  said  there  was 
no  use  in  attacking  a  dead  man.  Hoffman  has  immortalized 
himself  during  the  present  short  session,  and  given  earnest  of 
a  brilliant   "  hereafter." 


i837-]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   IIOXE.  275 

October  26.  Broadway  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Red  Brethren,  the  City  Hotel  has  been  crowded  for  the  last  two  days 
by  curious  spectators,  watching  to  obtain  an  occasional 
glimpse  of  a  large  party  of  Indians,  who,  after  having  made  a 
treaty  at  Washington,  by  which  their  "broad  lands  "  are  diminished 
in  quantity  by  the  trifling  amount  of  a  million  and  a  quarter  of  acres, 
are  now  making  a  tour  of  the  principal  cities,  receiving  presents, 
and  being  stared  at  for  the  benefit  of  theatres,  fairs,  and  lectures. 
There  are  two  tribes,  amounting  in  all  to  seventy  individuals  ;  the 
Sauks  and  Foxes,  who  constitute  the  most  important  part  of  the 
deputation,  are  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  the  Sioux  at  the  National, 
opposite  ;  for  these  two  tribes  are  not  on  a  friendly  footing,  and 
their  white  keepers  do  not  think  it  expedient  to  get  up  a  real  war- 
fight  for  the  edification  of  the  spectators. 

I  went  to  see  the  Sauks  and  Foxes  this  morning,  and  finding 
Mr.  Daniel  Jackson  there,  who  is  a  sort  of  agent  for  the  tribes,  was 
introduced  to  the  principal  chiefs.  The  whole  party  —  warriors, 
squaws,  and  pappooses  —  were  seated  or  lying  on  the  ground,  most 
of  them  employed  in  opening  and  dividing  some  pieces  of  colored 
cord,  such  as  is  used  for  hanging  pictures,  which  had  been  pre- 
sented to  them  at  the  fair  of  the  American  Institute,  and  with 
which  they  appeared  much  pleased.  Keokuk,  the  chief  of  the 
confederated  tribes  of  Sauks  and  Foxes,  and  his  favourite  squaw 
were  seated  on  a  small  carpet  separate  from  the  rest.  He  is  a 
fine-looking,  elderly  man,  of  intelligent  countenance  and  dignified 
deportment.  I  have  heard  General  Scott  speak  of  him  ;  he  thinks 
him  a  great  man.  In  the  expedition  against  the  tribes,  a  few  years 
since,  Keokuk  was  friendly  to  the  whites  and  opposed  to  Black 
Hawk,  who  was  then  the  principal  chief.  Black  Hawk  is  with  the 
party  at  present,  but  appears  to  have  lost  caste.  He  sits  with  his 
son  in  one  corner  of  the  square,  enveloped  in  a  bright  scarlet 
blanket,  silent,  surly,  and  picturesque.  The  son  is  a  majestic  man, 
aged  about  thirty,  one  of  the  noblest  figures  I  ever  saw,  —  a  perfect 
Ajax  Telamon. 


2/6  THE   DIARV   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  57. 

I  shook  hands  with  these  Herculeses  and  Apollos  of  the  woods. 
They  are  generally  very  stout  and  athletic,  with  immense  lower 
limbs ;  but  their  arms  and  hands  are  delicate  and  small.  Keokuk's 
hand  feels  like  the  hand  of  a  woman,  while  that  of  young  Black 
Hawk  is  not  so  large  as  mine ;  and  yet  in  other  respects  I  am 
much  inferior  in  size  and  strength  to  either  of  them.  This  charac- 
teristic may  be  accounted  for  from  the  circumstance  that  they 
perform  no  manual  labor,  and  the  stoutness  and  great  size  of  their 
legs  and  feet  are  owing  to  their  constant  exercise  in  the  chase  and 
other  field  exercises. 

At  seven  o'clock  this  evening  a  rap  upon  the  table  in 

reat     ug       j^     large  room  of  Masonic  Hall  took  the  hats  off  the 

Meeting.  ° 

heads  of  three  or  four  thousand  of  as  fine-looking  men  as 
ever  constituted  the  "  bone  and  muscle  "  of  any  community.  They 
were  the  Whigs  of  New  York ;  and  another  rap,  with  a  glorious 
responsive  "  Aye  "  from  this  assemblage,  honoured  me  by  placing 
me  in  the  chair  as  the  presiding  officer.  The  report  of  the  nomi- 
nating committee  was  read  by  Daniel  Ullman,  prefaced  by  a  very 
good  address. 

I  put  the  meeting  in  a  good-humour  by  addressing  them  in 
something  like  the  following  words  :  "  Now,  fellow- Whigs,  I  have 
given  you  your  way  in  all  things.  I  must  have  mine  in  one  :  I  am 
going  to  put  the  final  question,  —  a  course  which  is  not  usually 
adopted,  —  in  a  form  to  please  myself.  Are  you  ready  for  the  ques- 
tion?"—  "Ready  !  ready  !  question  !  question  !  "  was  the  cheerful 
reply.  "Then,  as  many  of  you  as  are  in  favour  of  the  ticket,  the 
whole  ticket,  and  nothing  but  the  ticket,  and  are  determined  to 
exert  yourselves  to  the  utmost  to  elect  it,  will  signify  it  by  saying 
Aye."  Such  a  simultaneous,  thundering,  whole-hearted  Aye  was 
never  before  heard.  "  Those  of  a  contrary  opinion  will  say  No  ;  " 
not  a  voice  responded,  and  the  meeting  adjourned  in  good-humour, 
in  high  hopes  of  success,  pleased  with  their  cause,  their  chairman, 
and  themselves. 


1837.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   IIOXE.  277 

November  6.  —  The  election  commenced  this  mom- 
The  Election,  ing.  It  is  the  most  interesting  one  we  have  ever  had. 
Former  contests  at  the  polls  have  been  struggles  for  party 
supremacy,  and,  sometimes,  for  the  indulgence  of  personal  predilec- 
tions ;  but  on  this  depends  the  continuance  or  the  ultimate  overthrow 
of  a  course  of  measures  which  have  nearly  ruined  our  noble  city, 
and  prostrated  the  energies  of  its  enterprising  citizens.  It  may  not 
be  of  great  importance  in  its  immediate  results,  for  we  can  hardly 
hope  for  such  a  change  as  would  give  the  Whigs  a  majority  in  the 
Legislature.  The  mountain  of  misrule  in  the  State  is  too  mighty  to 
be  overthrown  by  a  single  political  convulsion ;  but  the  ultimate 
effect  of  a  victory  now  would  be  certain,  and  its  influence  in  other 
parts  of  our  country,  conclusive.  The  whole  United  States  look  to 
this  election  as  the  star  to  guide  them  on  to  victory,  and  Mr.  Van 
Buren,  and  his  cabinet,  and  his  policy  must  rise  or  fall  by  its 
result.  The  Whigs  enter  the  field  with  high  hopes  and  a  steady, 
fixed  determination  to  do  their  duty ;  of  the  respectable  part  of  the 
Democratic  party,  some  have  come  openly  over  to  the  Whigs, 
others  stretch  their  necks  over  the  fence  and  drop  a  few  votes  on 
our  side,  and  none  give  their  party  a  full  and  decided  support.  The 
loco-focos,  the  destructives  of  the  city,  have  regained  possession  of 
Tammany  Hall,  and  the  battle  is  to  be  between  them  and  the  men 
of  character,  intelligence,  industry,  and  sobriety.  Even  Preserved 
Fish  has  joined  us  openly,  and  Jacob  B.  Taylor,  Daniel  Jackson, 
George  Sharpe,  and  many  others  of  the  same  stamp  attend  the 
Whig  meetings.  The  "  Sun  of  Austerlitz "  rose  bright  and 
glorious  this  morning,  and  I  confidently  hope  will  set,  on  the 
evening  of  the  third  day,  upon  a  bloodless  field  of  batde,  won 
triumphantly  by  the  friends  of  good  order  and  the  supporters  of 
the  Constitution.     • 

NovEMRER  8.  —  The  battle  has  been  fought  and  won.  The 
election  closed  this  evening  at  sundown,  and  the  Whigs  have 
succeeded  in  their  whole  ticket.  New  York  has  broken  her 
chains   and  stands  erect,    regenerated.     The  moral  and   political 


2/8  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

effect  of  this  victory  will  be  prodigious.  The  eyes  of  the  whole 
United  States  were  turned  to  us.  The  measures  of  the  adminis- 
tration stand  condemned  before  the  nation,  and  Mr.  Van  Buren 
must  alter  his  course  or  sink  to  rise  no  more.  This  contest  has 
been  conducted  on  the  side  of  the  Whigs  from  its  commencement 
in  a  determined  spirit,  and  Avith  high  hopes.  Our  men  worked 
hard,  but  quietly,  moderately ;  there  was  no  bullying,  no  boasting, 
and  it  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  city  that,  notwithstanding  the 
unusual  excitement  in  both  parties,  and  the  enormous  number  of 
votes  polled,  —  36,500,  —  there  was  no  commotion,  no  riots,  and 
no  call  for  the  interference  of  the  police. 

November  16.  —  I  received  a  warm  letter  of  congratulation 
from  Mr.  Webster,  in  reply  to  one  I  wrote  him  the  morning  after 
our  election,  and  a  paper  containing  the  result  of  the  Massachu- 
setts elections,  which  commenced  on  Monday.  The  victory  there 
is  overwhelming.  Every  one  of  the  thirteen  senatorial  districts  will 
return  Whigs.  Governor  Everett's  majority  will  be  ten  times 
greater  than  last  year. 

November  17.  —  The  terrible  abolition  question  is  fated,  I  fear, 
to  destroy  the  union  of  the  States,  and  to  endanger  the  peace  and 
happiness  of  our  western  world.  Both  parties  are  getting  more 
and  more  confirmed  in  their  obstinacy,  and  more  intolerant  in 
their  prejudices.  A  recent  disgraceful  affair  has  occurred  in  the 
town  of  Alton,  State  of  Illinois,  which  is  calculated  to  excite  the 
most  painful  feelings  in  all  those  who  respect  the  laws  and  desire 
the  continuance  of  national  peace  and  union.  Alton  is  situated  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  and  opposite  the  slave-holding  State 
of  Missouri.  An  abolition  paper  was  established  there,  called  the 
"  Alton  Observer,"  which,  becoming  obnoxious  to  the  slave- 
holders, was  assailed  and  the  establishment  destroyed,  some 
time  since,  by  an  ungovernable  mob;  an  attempt  was  recently 
made  to  reestablish  the  paper,  which  caused  another  most 
disgraceful  outrage,  in  which  two  persons  were  killed  and  several 
wounded. 


1S37]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  279 

November  22.  —  Such  a  day  of  continued  excite- 
'^      ment    I    have  never   experienced :    for  nearly  twelve 

Jubilee.  '■  ■' 

hours  every  faculty  of  body  and  mind  has  been  on  the 
utmost  stretch. 

The  out-door  celebration  (except  the  firing  of  the  cannon)  was 
prevented  by  a  villanous  fog,  which  hung  like  a  dark  mantle  over 
us  at  sunrise.  Until  noon  there  were  occasional  symptoms  of 
better  weather,  but  before  sunset  it  turned  into  rain,  and  the  fire- 
works were  "  no  go."  But  the  in-door  operations  were  all  carried 
out  to  the  letter,  and  so  brilliant  and  exciting  a  scene  was  never 
witnessed.  At  eleven  o'clock  I  went  to  Masonic  Hall  to  unite  in 
the  reception  of  the  delegates  from  other  States  and  cities,  who 
presented  themselves  to  the  number  of  seven  hundred  and  received 
their  tickets  for  the  dinner.  At  one  o'clock  the  Mayor  took  the  chair 
and  addressed  the  delegates  in  an  excellent  speech ;  they  were 
then  called  upon  by  States,  and  a  member  selecte;!  from  each  State 
addressed  the  meeting.  It  was  perfectly  astonishing  that  in  this 
number  of  speakers,  thus  called  together,  and  most  of  them  entirely 
unprepared,  there  were  no  failures.  All  spoke  well,  —  some  of 
them  with  surpassing  eloquence.  I  have  never  witnessed  such  a 
display  of  warm,  glowing,  impassioned  oratory  as  some  exhibited, 
nor  so  much  pure,  refined,  convincing  eloquence  as  fell  from 
others.  Colonel  Winthrop's  speech  was  one  of  the  finest  I  ever 
heard, —  it  would  have  done  credit  to  Webster  or  Clay ;  but  all  were 
excellent,  and  Granger's  closing  speech  fixed  the  attention  of  an 
assemblage,  who  had  remained  during  five  hours  in  their  several 
places,  and  most  of  them  standing,  wedged  together  the  whole 
time.  At  five  o'clock  we  all  adjourned  to  Niblo's  to  partake  of 
the  dinner. 

Seven  hundred  plates  were  set,  and  the  floor  and  avenues  of  the 
saloon  were  crowded  with  persons  who  could  not  get  seats.  There 
were  many  speeches  and  volunteer  toasts,  but  I  left  my  seat  soon 
after  the  regular  toasts  were  done.  Ten  or  a  dozen  of  us,  includ- 
ing some  of  the  Baltimoreans,  had  a  little  supper  at  Niblo's ;  but  I 


280  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^Etat.  57. 

left  them  soon,  and  came  home  nearly  exhausted  by  the  labours  of 
the  day,  and  intoxicated,  not  by  strong  drink,  but  by  a  strong  and 
unintermitted  excitement. 

This  celebration  will  have  an  extensive  and  most  salutary  influ- 
ence. Never  before  has  there  been  such  an  assemblage  of  Whigs. 
A  bond  of  union  and  good-fellowship  has  been  formed  which  will 
extend  far  and  wide,  and  the  delegates  will  go  home  delighted 
with  their  reception,  filled  with  confident  hopes  of  a  return  of  a 
national  prosperity,  and  with  a  determination  to  restore  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Constitution  and  the  laws. 

The  indications  of  public  feeling  during  the  day, 
Henry  Clay,  which  I  have  watched  carefully,  have  been  in  my 
opinion  decidedly  in  favour  of  Mr.  Clay  as  the  Whig 
candidate  for  President.  Whenever  allusions  were  made  to  Mr. 
Webster  and  him  they  were  received  with  cheers  and  applause ; 
but  those  for  Clay  were  more  animated  than  the  others.  The 
delegates  seemed  to  say  that  either  of  those  patriots  was  good 
enough  for  them,  but  that  "Harry  of  the  West"  would  be  the 
most  available  candidate.  The  question  should  not  be  agitated 
now ;  our  duty  is  to  get  Van  Buren  out,  and  then  —    . 

November  23.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Gardiner  G.  Howland,  where 
I  met  Messrs.  Meredith,  Kennedy,  Morris,  and  Dr.  Alexander  of 
Baltimore,  Mr.  Granger,  and  other  gentlemen.  I  have  frolicked 
too  much  this  week,  and  require  quiet  and  temperance,  which  I 
fear  I  shall  not  get. 

November  25.  —  I  had  a  pleasant  dinner-party.  It  was  in- 
tended for  some  of  my  Baltimore  friends  who  attended  the 
jubilee  of  Wednesday ;  but  Mr.  Swift,  the  Mayor  of  Philadelphia, 
forestalled  me  and  took  them  in  transitu ;  all  but  Meredith  and 
Kennedy,  who,  like  good  fellows,  stayed  to  dine  with  me.  Our 
party  consisted  of  Jonathan  Meredith,  John  P.  Kennedy,  the 
Mayor,  President  Duer,  Francis  Granger,  Mr.  Graves,  M.C.,  from 
Kentucky,  James  Watson  Webb,  Charles  King,  Abraham  Ogden, 
and  I.  S.  Hone. 


1837.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  28 1 


November  28. — A  convention  of  delegates  from  Bos 

tn 
Convention. 


^^"'^  ton,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  New  York  convened 


yesterday  at  the  Mayor's  office,  City  Hall.     The  object 
of  this  convention  is  to  deliberate  on  a  resumption  of  specie  pay- 
ment, at  some  time  to  be  agreed  upon.     There  is  great  difference 
of  opinion  on  this  momentous  question.     I  think  they  can't  do  it. 
November  29.  —  The  great  dinner  is  over,  and  I  have 
'^    '^  a  prospect  of  a  day  or  two's  peace  and  quietness.     The 

dinner  was  given  at  the  Astor  House ;  about  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty,  including  the  guests,  sat  down  at  half-past  seven 
o'clock,  and  stayed  all  night !  We  had  speeches  upon  speeches, 
some  very  good,  but  most  of  them  too  long.  The  principal  speakers 
were  John  Bell  of  Tennessee,  Graves  of  Kentucky,  Mr.  Southard  and 
Governor  Pennington  of  New  Jersey,  Kennedy  of  Baltimore,  Sturges 
of  Boston,  Granger,  etc.  Ogden  Hoffman  presided,  with  eight  vice- 
presidents,  of  which  I  was  the  first.  The  toasts,  which  were  intended 
to  call  out  the  distinguished  guests,  were  severally  given  by  the 
president  and  the  vice-presidents.  Mr.  Bell  spoke  an  hour  and  a 
half;  Mr.  Southard  made  an  excellent  speech,  a  little  too  much 
about  himself;  but  the  great  gun  of  the  evening,  that  which  con- 
stituted the  chief  attraction,  and  kept  the  company  together  to  an 
hour  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  New  York  jollifications,  was 
Daniel  Webster.  He  rose  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  intend- 
ing, in  consequence  of  its  being,  as  he  said,  to-jtiorrow,  to  be  very 
brief;  but  his  auditors  insisted  upon  his  going  on  ;  they  would  not 
allow  him  to  stop,  and  he,  apparently  "nothing  loath,"  kept  on  in 
a  strain  of  unwearied  and  unwearying  eloquence  until  four  o'clock. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  most  of  them  men  of  sober,  steady 
habits,  fathers  of  families,  remained  immovable  in  their  seats,  with 
no  indications  of  fatigue  or  inattention  until  he  finished  at  an  hour 
when  "  night  was  almost  at  odds  with  morning."  There  is  scarcely 
another  individual  in  the  United  States  who  could  thus  have  fixed 
their  attention  at  such  an  unreasonable  hour.  I  looked  around 
frequently,  and  I  verily  believe  not  a  person  left  the  room  while  he 


282  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  C^Etat.57. 

was  speaking.  What  a  wonderful  gift  is  this  pubUc  speaking,  and 
what  gourmands  we  Americans  are  wlien  we  get  hold  of  a  dish  of 
popular  oratory  ! 

Mr.  Webster  was  clear  and  distinct  in  his  manly  and  patriotic 
surrender  of  personal  claims  upon  the  people,  and  a  determination 
to  abide  in  all  things  by  the  decision  of  a  majority  of  the  Whig 
party.  This  part  of  his  speech  did  him  great  credit,  and  was  re- 
ceived with  much  enthusiastic  applause.  When 'he  closed,  at  four 
o'clock,  I  left  the  company  reseating  themselves,  ready  for  more 
toasts  and  more  speeches,  and  I  doubt  if  they  broke  up  before 
breakfast-time.  I  was  glad  to  get  away,  fatigued  and  worn  out, 
but  too  much  excited  to  sleep. 

November  30.  —  Day  of  general  thanksgiving  and  prayer,  recom- 
mended by  the  State  and  city  authorities.  There  are  many  causes 
of  thanksgiving,  some  of  which  our  present  rulers  would  not  be  will- 
ing to  acknowledge  as  such. 

December  5.  —  A  Mr.  Price,  sub-editor  (as  I  am  informed)  of  a 
scurrilous  paper  published  in  this  city,  called  the  "  Herald,"  has 
addressed  me  a  letter  as  chairman  of  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments for  the  Bell  dinner,  to  know  whether  Charles  King  was 
authorized  to  forbid  him  to  take  notes  of  the  speeches  at  the  din- 
ner, on  which  subject  a  correspondence  has  taken  place  between 
him  and  Mr.  King.  The  gentleman  is  bien  enrage.  He  says  he 
bought  his  ticket  like  other  people,  and  had  a  right  like  other 
people  to  take  notes  or  anything  else  he  pleased.  King,  who, 
I  presume,  thought  he  had  no  right  to  take  anything  but  his  dinner, 
would  not  allow  him  to  proceed,  and,  being  of  the  Hotspur  breed, 
very  probably  showed  him  the  door,  and  the  man  lost  his  ten  dol- 
lars and  his  dinner  in  the  bargain.  For  this  he  called  King  to 
account,  and,  his  explanation  not  being  altogether  satisfactory,  I  was 
appealed  to  by  the  aggrieved  party.  In  my  reply  I  state  that  "  the 
practice  of  reporting  in  the  public  prints  the  doings  and  the  sayings 
of  our  convivial  meetings  without  the  consent,  and  frequently  to  the 
annoyance,  of  the  parties  who  are  thus  unwillingly  brought  before 
the  public,  a  practice  so  entirely  repugnant  to  the  feelings  of  our 


1S37.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  283 

citizens,  is  happily  confined  as  yet  to  so  inconsiderable  a  portion  of 
the  press  that  it  did  not,  I  presume,  occur  to  the  committee  to  take 
any  measures  in  advance  to  prevent  it ;  but  that  I  was  of  the  opinion 
that  Mr.  King  was  authorized,  by  the  expressed  sentiments  of  the 
gentlemen  forming  the  committee,  to  oppose  the  introduction  of 
reporters  for  that  object."  This  brought  a  rejoinder,  and  then  the 
matter  ended  between  Mr.  Price  and  me  ;  but  the  "  Herald  "  will 
make  two  or  three  columns  of  the  affair  to  dish  up  to  his  customers 
who  like  high-seasoned  dishes. 

December  6.  —  Congress  met  on  Monday;  the 
A^s  Ve  *  President's  message  was  sent  on  Tuesday.  This  docu- 
ment does  little  credit  to  Mr.  Van  Buren,  and  I  trust  that 
it  seals  his  political  condemnation.  All  the  abominable  doctrines 
of  his  September  message  are  reiterated.  He  recommends  the  sub- 
treasury  system,  with  its  hosts  of  government  locusts  to  eat  up  the 
people's  substance,  or  if  that  will  not  go,  then  something  else  ; 
but  the  merchants  must  be  deprived  of  the  use  of  any  part  of 
the  money  which  their  enterprise  and  intelligence  have  been  the 
means  of  furnishing  to  the  support  of  the  government.  No 
matter  what  becomes  of  it,  so  that  they  do  not  get  it.  Was  ever 
a  commercial  people  cursed  with  such  rulers?  Better  would  it  be 
for  poor  New  York  if  a  volcano  were  to  break  out  in  the  midst  of 
her  than  that  this  suicidal  policy  should  be  adopted  ! 

In  relation  to  the  late  elections  the  President  has  his  usual  cant 
about  the  will  of  the  people.  He  pretends  that  the  late  changes 
are  no  expression  of  their  will.  It  was  owing  to  bank  influence, 
and  the  people  will  go  round  to  him  again,  and  then  they  will  be 
right.  Faugh  !  With  his  usual  sycophancy  and  want  of  indepen- 
dence, he  refers  to  "  his  predecessor  "  eight  times  in  the  course  of 
this  message. 

December  20. — We  had  a  pleasant  dinner-party,  consisting  of 
Samuel  S.  Howland,  George  Dorr,  James  W.  Otis,  J.  G.  Pearson, 
Robert  Ray,  John  C.  Delprat,  P.  G.  Stuyvesant,  Charles  A. 
Heckscher,  Peter  Schermerhorn,  Samuel  Welles  of  Paris,  and 
William  H.  Aspinwall. 


284  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 


1838, 


TANUARY  I .  —  I  verily  believe  there  never  was  so  pleasant  a 
^  New  Year's  Day.  The  sun  rose  this  morning  through  a  deli- 
cious haze,  which  looked  like  impalpable  gold-dust,  and  from  which 
it  emerged  gloriously.  During  the  day  the  air  was  soft  and  balmy, 
and  the  temperature  warm  as  June.  Visiting  commenced  earlier 
than  usual,  and  was  kept  up  with  great  spirit  until  near  night. 
Broadway  was  thronged  with  male  pedestrians,  and  at  the  open 
door  of  every  fashionable  house  a  grinning  domestic  was  seen 
ushering  in  the  visitors  to  the  well-furnished  saloon  in  which  fair 
inmates  were  ready  to  receive  with  smiles  their  homage  and  good 
wishes.  I  began  my  cruise  at  noon,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Bowling  Green,  working  my  way  up,  and  intending  to  visit  my  up- 
town friends  last.  But  when  I  arrived  at  St.  Thomas's  Church,  it 
was  five  o'clock,  and  I  was  compelled  to  make  my  visit  to  Dr. 
Hawks  (the  most  excellent  pastor  of  that  church)  my  last  for  the 
day ;  but  I  made  some  visits  in  the  evening,  and  came  home 
fatigued  with  my  pleasant  exercise. 

Last  evening  we  were  all  assembled  in  the  dining-room,  —  myself, 
my  wife,  my  six  children,  and  son-in-law,  —  a  goodly  family  party, 
gay,  cheerful,  and  happy,  until  eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-seven, 
with  hobbling  gait,  took  his  ugly  face  away,  and,  turning  his  ill- 
omened  back  upon  us,  made  way  for  his  smiling,  youthful  successor. 
God  grant  he  may  not  "  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his  illustrious 
predecessor,"  except  as  regards  the  weather,  in  which  particular  we 
certainly  have  no  reason  to  complain  of  the  defunct !  for  never, 
surely,  was  a  year  of  such  fine  weather  known  among  men.  We 
have  not  had  equal  to  a  month  of  unpleasant  weather  during  the 
year,  —  a  lovely  spring,  a  cool  summer,  and  the  autumn  and  winter, 
thus  far,  delicious  as  the  climate  of  the  plains  of  Normandy.     But 


1838.]  THE   DIARV   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  285 

in  other  matters  it  has  been  a  disastrous  year.  The  acts  of  govern- 
ment have  thrown  the  affairs  of  the  country  into  utter  confusion. 
The  enterprise  of  the  citizens,  which,  it  must  be  confessed,  led 
them  sometimes  too  far,  was  suddenly  checked  and  paralyzed  by  a 
sudden  breaking  up  of  all  the  elements  which  gave  life  to  the  social 
compact,  and  excited  the  honest  industry  and  enlightened  enter- 
prise of  our  people.  During  this  year  we  have  lived  upon  each 
other ;  no  wholesome  business  has  been  carried  on ;  the  sources  to 
which  we  have  looked  for  the  payment  of  honest  debts  have  gen- 
erally failed ;  real  estate,  which  in  good  times  is  the  best  and  surest 
foundation  of  credit,  has  lost  its  value,  and  those  who  have  money 
will  neither  invest  in  it  nor  lend  on  it.  Confidence  is  shaken  to  its 
very  centre,  and  the  springs  of  national  and  commercial  prosperity 
are  dried  up.  Amidst  all  this  scene  of  national  and  individual 
calamity,  one  redeeming  ray  of  sunshine  has  burst  forth,  —  the 
people  have  risen  in  their  might  and  reproved  the  ruinous  schemes 
of  their  rulers ;  the  popular  elections  have  gone  generally  against 
the  administration,  and  nowhere  has  the  voice  of  reproof  been 
more  loudly  uttered  than  in  our  own  State.  If  we  hold  on  in  the 
good  cause  the  same  voice  will  call  abler  and  better  men  to  the 
councils  of  the  nation,  and  better  days  may  dawn,  and  the  Repub- 
lic yet  be  safe. 

During  the  past  year  I  have  removed  to  my  new  house,  comer 
of  Broadway  and  Great  Jones  street,  which  proves  a  most  delight- 
ful and  comfortable  residence.  I  would  not,  if  I  could,  have  it 
altered  in  a  single  particular.  God  grant  that  in  my  prayers  for 
better  times  I  may  be  sufficiently  thankful  for  the  blessings  which  I 
yet  enjoy  ! 

January  5. — The  ship  "Pennsylvania"  sailed  from  Sandy 
Hook  at  noon,  on  the  8th  of  November,  and  arrived  in  the  Mersey 
on  the  evening  of  the  23d.  I  think  this  is  the  shortest  passage  as 
yet ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  say  what  may  happen  in  this  "  go- 
ahead  "  age,  A  letter  which  I  received  by  the  "  George  Wash- 
ington,"  dated  in  London   15  th  of  November,  from  \\'illiam  H. 


286  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  58. 

Stephenson  (he  who  was  here  on  a  visit  last  summer,  and  to  whom 
we  all  took  a  liking),  states  that  the  new  steamer  intended  for  this 
port  was  to  sail  in  about  a  fortnight.  If  she  succeeds,  this  fifteen- 
day  passage  of  the  "  Pennsylvania  "  may  hereafter  be  considered 
quite  a  dilatory  proceeding. 

January  6.  — The  weather  continues  beautiful  beyond  all  former 
experience,  —  warm  as  June.  If  we  do  not  have  a  change  soon,  we 
shall  want  ice  to  cool  our  champagne  next  summer.  The  North 
river  is  open  to  Hudson.  If  the  weather  continues,  the  navigation 
will  be  unobstructed  to  Albany,  —  an  event  which  I  think  has  never 
occurred  in  the  month  of  January  during  my  lifetime. 

January  22.  —  I  received  to-day  from  Mr.  Webster 
g"jj"  ■'^^^"'^  a  copy  of  the  bill  of  abominations,  now  before  the 
Senate,  and  have  read  it  attentively.  It  is  worse,  even, 
than  I  supposed,  from  having  given  it  a  cursory  perusal  as  it  was 
published.  It  should  be  called  General  Jackson's  rod  bequeathed 
to  his  successor,  wherewith  to  scourge  the  refractory  merchants, 
and  Mr.  Van  Buren's  vial  of  wrath,  to  be  poured  upon  his  devoted 
city  of  New  York  more  especially,  as  punishment  for  political 
backslidings.  Its  leading  feature  seems  to  be  the  total  preclusion 
of  the  merchants,  whose  enterprise  supports  the  government,  from 
any  participation  in  the  use  of  money  collected  through  their 
means  on  any  security  whatever.  It  directs  it  to  be  locked  up  in 
gold  and  silver  in  the  Custom-House  and  post-offices  in  all  parts  of 
the  country,  and  creates  a  host  of  political  locusts  worse  than  those 
who  of  old  overran  the  land  of  Egypt,  devoted  soul,  body,  and 
conscience  to  their  masters,  to  have  the  custody  of  the  people's 
money,  and  to  beg,  borrow,  or  steal  it,  no  matter  how,  so  as  the 
benefit  to  accrue  from  it  shall  be  confined  to  the  faithful.  I  do 
venture  to  assert  that  there  never  has  been  an  instance,  in  the  his- 
tory of  civilized  man,  of  so  much  power  being  vested  in  the  hands 
of  an  executive  magistrate,  call  him  as  you  may,  —  king,  emperor, 
dictator,  autocrat,  or  Tartarian  khan,  —  by  a  legislative  enactment, 
as  this  bill  gives  to  the  Republican  President  of  a  people  who  do 


iSjS.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    IIOXE.  287 

actually  dream  sometimes  that  they  are  free.  The  amiable  gentle- 
men above  enumerated  have  occasionally  indulged  in  strange 
freaks  at  the  'expense  of  their  loyal  subjects ;  they  squeeze  them 
tolerably  hard,  and  if  they  prove  refractory  cut  off  their  heads ; 
but  they  have  not  the  assurance  to  pretend  that  they  have  law  for 
what  they  do.  The  suffering  people  have  the  consolation  to  know 
that  they  had  no  hand  in  forging  their  chains,  but  here  representa- 
tives of  the  people  (as  they  falsely  style  themselves)  are  about  to 
twist  the  lash,  to  sharpen  the  sword,  and  hand  them  to  their  rulers, 
praying  them  to  use  them  for  the  good  of  their  constituents ;  and 
use  them  they  will,  if  this  ill-omened  bill  passes  the  Senate.  A 
majority  of  that  body  are  the  merest  tools  of  party,  and  will  vote 
for  it ;  but  there  is  some  reason  to  hope  that  honest  men  enough 
will  be  found  in  the  House  of  Representatives  to  stay  the  cause. 

This  gold  and  silver  currency  is  the  prettiest  sceptre  with  which 
to  rule  a  people  who  do  not  give  themselves  the  trouble  to  think 
much  about  public  affairs,  that  a  tyrant  could  desire.  Mr.  Van 
Buren  is  not  exactly  a  tyrant  yet ;  but  wait,  my  masters,  until  this 
bill  passes.  The  late  Dey  of  Algiers  thought  so,  and  he  was  the 
government.  The  French  found  something  in  his  cellars  besides 
potatoes  and  cabbages ;  the  cellars  provided  in  this  bill  are  more 
numerous  than  those  which  belonged  to  his  turbancd  liighness,  but 
the  treasures  they  contain  will  be  equally  under  the  control  of  the 
government,  and,  although  not  intended  to  be  applied  to  the  pur- 
chase of  chibouques  and  slippers  for  the  personal  use  of  our 
revered  chief,  or  laid  out  in  gewgaws  for  the  ladies  of  the  harem, 
they  will  be  the  means  of  corrupting  the  minds  of  the  people, 
blinding  their  eyes  to  the  faults  of  their  rulers,  and  transforming  a 
nation  of  freemen  into  a  herd  of  time-serving  and  man-worship- 
ping sycophants  unworthy  the  name  of  Americans. 

January   27.  —  I  was  favoured  by  an  invitation  to 

Kent  Club.       meet  the  Kent  Club  this  evening  at  the  house  of  ^Ir. 

William  Kent.     There  were  about  twenty  gentlemen, 

among  whom  were  Judges  Jones,  Edwards,  and  Tallmadge,  Chan- 


288  THE   DIARY   OF   TIIILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

cellor  Kent,  President  Duer,  several  eminent  lawyers,  and  a  few 
laymen,  consisting  of  Charles  King,  Webb,  and  myself.  There  was 
also  Mr.  Mackintosh,  son  of  the  celebrated  Sir  James  Mackintosh, 
and  the  author  of  his  well-written  biography,  a  gentleman  who 
came  to  this  country  on  a  visit  during  the  last  autumn.  We  had 
a  handsome  supper,  with  oceans  of  champagne.  I  was  right  in 
calling  it  "  high  jinks,"  for  a  more  jovial,  noisy,  roystering  set  I 
never  met  with.  They  seemed  to  contemn  all  law  but  that  of 
passing  the  bottle,  and  the  counsel  on  both  sides  summed  up 
together  without  regarding  the  admonitions  of  the  court. 

February  14.  —  When  Mr.  Webster  was  in  New  York  he  dined 
on  the  14th  of  December  at  the  Astor  House  with  a  party  of 
good  Whigs.  On  this  occasion  he  invited  the  party  to  dine  with 
him  in  Washington  on  Washington's  birthday,  since  which,  on 
renewing  the  invitation  to  each  of  us,  he  has  altered  the  day  to 
the  2 1  St  inst.,  in  consequence  of  a  ball  which  is  to  be  given  on  the 
2  2d  in  honour  of  the  anniversary,  and  here  I  am  this  evening  in 
Philadelphia,  on  my  way  to  fulfil  the  engagement. 

I  left  New  York  at  half-past  six  this  morning.  It  was  very 
cold,  but  the  admirable  railroad,  go-ahead  mode  of  travelling 
brought  us  to  Philadelphia  by  one  o'clock,  and  I  got  into  good 
quarters  at  Head's.  Mrs.  Davis  came  on  to  surprise  her  hus- 
band, who  has  been  here  two  or  three  days.  I  called  upon 
Mr.  Biddle  at  the  bank,  and  had  a  nice  little  talk  about 
matters   and    things. 

I  was  shown  this  afternoon,  at  the  shop  of  IMessrs. 
Plate  Fletcher  &  Co.,  in  Chestnut  street,  the  most  superb 

service  of  plate  I  ever  saw,  to  be  presented  by  the 
directors  of  the  old  Bank  of  the  United  States  to  Mr.  Nicholas 
Biddle.  It  is  to  cost  $15,000.  The  inscription  recites  all  his 
valuable  services  to  the  institution  and  to  the  country  at  large,  and 
among  other  things  his  having  "  created  the  best  currency  in  the 
worlds  He  deserves  all  they  can  do  for  him,  but  the  world  is 
a  big  place.     Fletcher  &  Co.  are  the  artists  who  made  the  Clinton 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   IIOXE.  289 

vases.     Nobody  in  this  "world"  of  ours  hereabouts  can  compete 
with  them  in  this  kind  of  work. 

The  portico  of  this  glorious  edifice,  a  sight  of  which 

e  an  ing-  ,^|^^,^yg  rcpavs  me  for  coming  to  Philadelphia,  appeared 
more  beautiful  to  me  this  evening  than  usual,  from  the 
effect  of  the  gas-light ;  each  of  the  massive  fluted  columns  had  a  jet 
of  light  from  the  inner  side  so  placed  as  not  to  be  seen  from  the 
street,  but  casting  a  strong  light  upon  the  front  of  the  building, 
the  softness  of  which,  with  its  flickering  from  the  wind,  produced  an 
effect  strikingly  beautiful.  How  strange  it  is  that  in  all  the  inven- 
tions of  modern  times  architecture  alone  seems  to  admit  of  no 
improvement !  —  every  departure  from  the  classical  models  of 
antiquity  in  this  science  is  a  departure  from  grace  and  beauty. 

Baltimore,  Feb.  15.  —  I  was  within  half  a  minute  of  losing  my 
chance  this  morning  in  the  railroad  cars.  The  omnibuses  leave 
Market  street  at  eight,  and  had  started  just  as  I  got  there  ;  but  I 
saved  my  distance.  They  go  to  Grey's  Ferry  on  the  Schuylkill, 
from  where  the  cars  start  on  the  new  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore 
Railroad,  which  has  been  in  operation  about  a  week,  and  go  by 
Wilmington  and  Elkton,  —  nearly  the  old  mail-stage  route.  We  got 
here  at  three  o'clock,  an  hour  later  than  usual,  in  consequence  of 
the  ice  and  snow  on  the  tracks.  But  what  a  contrast  is  this  to  the 
old  winter  travelling  between  the  two  cities,  over  a  detestable  road 
and  a  dangerous  ferry,  and  two  days  and  a  night  consumed  on  the 
journey.  The  Susquehanna  at  Havre-de-Grace  is  crossed  in  a 
steamboat  superior  to  anything  yet  produced  in  America.  The 
passengers  descend  by  a  stairway  into  this  floating  palace,  where 
everything  comfortable  is  provided.  The  cars  are  then  brought  on 
a  platform  overhead  level  with  the  road.  The  immense  machine 
then  starts,  breaking  the  ice,  whatever  may  be  its  thickness ;  the 
passengers  then  ascend  on  this  side  by  another  substantial  stair- 
case, resume  their  seats  in  the  cars,  and  find  themselves  again  in 
rapid  motion  on  terra  firma,  having,  as  it  were  by  enchantment, 
crossed  this  ferry,  which  was  formerly  one  of  the  greatest  bugbears 


290  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

to  travelling  in  the  United  States  in  the  winter  season.  It  snowed 
when  we  started  this  morning,  and  has  been  the  most  unpleasant 
day  I  have  experienced  during  the  present  winter.  But  the  cars, 
which  held  about  seventy  persons  each,  are  provided  with  stoves, 
which  made  them  (as  Polly  Stymets  said)  a  little  too  comfortable. 
The  fare  on  this  capital  road  is  only  four  dollars. 

Washington,  Feb.  19.  —  Called  this  morning,  by  appointment, 
upon  Mr.  Webster,  who  accompanied  me  to  the  Senate  at  eleven 
o'clock,  and  obtained  for  me  a  place  on  the  floor,  —  an  exceedingly 
difficult  thing  under  the  present  orders.  The  galleries  were  all 
filled  two  hours  before  the  time  of  the  Senate's  meeting,  I  was 
indebted  for  my  good  place  to  some  hocus-pocus  between  IVIr. 
Webster  and  the  sergeant-at-arms. 

Mr.  Clay  rose  to  the  order  of  the  day  (Mr.  Wright's 
^  s  ^.ji^  commonly  called  the  sub-treasury  bill)  at  one 
o'clock,  and  spoke  until  half-past  five.  It  was  a  great 
speech,  as  all  his  speeches  are ;  but  I  thought  it  too  long.  It  would 
have  borne  a  curtailment  of  an  hour  advantageously.  Mr.  Clay's 
physical  force  was  not  so  great  as  usual,  and  I  thought  he  laboured 
under  the  effects  of  indisposition ;  but  the  close  of  his  argument 
was  the  best  part.  He  belaboured  the  last  and  present  adminis- 
trations, quoting  from  Mr.  Van  Buren's  reply  to  the  nomination  of 
the  Baltimore  Convention,  in  which  he  speaks  of  himself  as  "  the 
honoured  instrument  to  carry  out  the  measures  of  his  illustrious 
predecessor."  Mr.  Clay  said  that  the  meaning  of  the  word 
instrtanent  given  by  Webster's  Dictionary  is  "  /<?(?/,"  and  continued 
to  speak  accordingly  of  the  honoicred  tool  of  General  Jackson. 

In  the  course  of  the  speech  Mr.  Clay  bore  somewhat  hard  upon 
Mr.  Calhoun  for  his  recent  apostasy,  and  replied  to  his  arguments 
in  favour  of  the  bill,  to  which  the  latter  replied  in  a  few  exceed- 
ingly harsh  and  ill-natured  remarks.  He  charged  Mr.  Clay  with 
having  "  misrepresented  all  his  arguments,"  and  threatened  "  in 
his  own  good  time  to  settle  accounts  with  him,"  to  which  Mr.  Clay 
rejoined  that  he  was  "  ready  to  settle  with  the  gentleman  from 


1S38.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  291 

South  Carolina  in  any  way,  and  at  any  time,"  he  chose.  Mr. 
Calhoun,  like  all  men  whose  position  is  doubtful  in  their  own 
minds,  is,  no  doubt,  very  sensitive.  I  thought  there  was  a  degree 
of  acrimony  and  ill -nature  in  his  reply  much  greater  than  the 
occasion  justified.  When  I  shook  hands  with  this  gentleman  this 
morning  I  felt  grieved  that  so  brilliant  a  mind  and  so  gallant  a 
spirit  had  been  cast  away  by  the  influence  of  prejudice  and  paltry 
interested  motives. 

February  20.  —  I  called  upon  the  President  this  morning,  who 
received  me  with  his  usual  urbanity.  He  inquired  about  my 
family  and  other  persons  of  his  acquaintance,  talked  about  the 
weather,  his  habits  and  mode  of  living,  but  asked  no  questions 
about  the  state  of  things  in  New  York,  and,  of  course,  did  not 
touch  upon  politics. 

February  21.  —  The  long-expected  day  arrived  at 
Dinner^  *  ^^  last.  Mr.  Wcbster's  great  dinner  to  the  New  Yorkers 
took  place  to-day  at  five  o'clock.  We  went  in  a  body 
to  his  house,  and  were  met  by  an  equal  number  of  the  most 
distinguished  Whigs  in  the  United  States,  and  some  of  the  greatest 
and  best  men  which  our  country  can  boast  of.  The  dinner  con- 
sisted, as  near  as  I  can  recollect,  of  the  following  party,  —  I  shall 
endeavour  to  put  them  all  down  here,  for  this  was  an  affair  long  to 
be  remembered :  The  New  York  party,  fourteen  in  number ;  Mr. 
Webster,  Governor  Davis,  Governor  Lincoln,  of  Massachusetts ; 
jSIr.  Robbins,  Mr.  Tillinghast,  of  Rhode  Island  ;  Messrs.  Tallmadge, 
Sibley,  Hoffman,  Curtis,  of  New  York  ;  Meredith,  Wise,  of  Virginia  ; 
Bell  and  Graves,  of  Tennessee  ;  Crittenden,  of  Kentucky ;  Bayard, 
of  Delaware  ;  Colt  and  Dr.  Alexander,  of  Baltimore. 

Toasts  were  given  and  speeches  made  by  almost  everybody.  Mr. 
Wise  was  eloquent  and  entertaining  ;  Mr.  Webster  very  fine.  Old  Mr. 
Robbins  delivered  a  beautiful  eulogium  upon  Washington,  in  a  soft 
and  tremulous  voice,  and  in  language  classical  and  pure.  It  was  a 
glorious  affair.  \Vhen  I  arose  at  the  table  (at  which  I  had  the 
seat  of  distinction)   I  was  awe-stricken,  and  for  a  moment  em- 


292  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

barrassed,  but  recovered  instantly.  I  felt  as  if  in  an  assembly  of 
the  gods.  These  were  men  who  can  and  will  save  the  country.  I 
told  them  so,  and  they  responded,  Amen  ! 

The  next  thing  in  order  was  the  dinner  which  the  New  York 
party  gave  to  the  Whig  delegation  from  our  State.  One  senator 
(Mr.  Tallmadge,  a  conservative,  with  us  now  heart  and  soul)  and 
ten  of  the  lower  House,  besides  whom  we  had  Messrs.  Clay,  Webster, 
Crittenden,  Wise,  Graves,  Waddy  Thompson,  etc., —  in  number  about 
forty.  I  presided,  and  they  all  say  it  was  the  greatest  thing  I  ever 
did.  But  how  could  it  be  otherwise  ?  I  had  Clay  on  my  right  and 
Webster  on  my  left.  I  felt  inspired  myself,  and  infused  inspiration 
into  all  around  me.  Alluding  to  my  relative  position,  I  made  them 
all  pledge  themselves  to  make  one  of  us  three  President  of  the 
United  States.  How  we  apples  swim  !  At  ten  o'clock  we  broke 
up,  and  most  of  the  party  went  to  the  ball  in  honour  of  Washing- 
ton's birthday,  which  was  a  brilliant  affair.  The  President  was 
there,  and  the  Vice-President,  heads  of  departments,  foreign  minis- 
ters, etc. 

]\Ir.  Pontois,  the  French  Minister,  has  been  exceedingly  civil  to 
me.  He  wants  to  give  me  a  dinner,  and  appears  greatly  dis- 
appointed that  I  cannot  accept  it.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Howard 
have  pressed  me  very  hard,  as  have  everybody  here  ;  but  we  go  to 
Baltimore  on  Saturday,  where  further  honours  await  us.  I  am 
almost  tempted  to  return  with  Charles  King  and  some  others  of  the 
conspirators,  but  cannot ;  and  perhaps  it  is  better  to  break  off  in 
the  midst  of  my  enjoyment.  I  received  this  evening  a  letter  from 
the  Baltimore  committee,  informing  me  that  an  extra  train  of  cars 
has  been  provided,  to  start  from  here  on  Saturday  at  noon.  This 
is  a  comfortable  and  kind  arrangement,  as  we  should  otherwise 
have  been  compelled  to  start  at  six  in  the  morning,  and  very  con- 
venient for  men  who  sit  every  niglat  "  carousing  until  the  second 
cock." 

Baltimore,  February  24.  —  A  dreadful  affair  had  happened  at 
Washington   to-day,  which   only  came   to   my   knowledge   a   few 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  293 

minutes  before  I  left  Washington  this  morning.  Mr.  Webb,  the 
editor  of  the  "  Courier  and  Enquirer,"  was  attacked  with  great 
violence  in  the  House  of  Representatives  by  Mr.  Cilley,  of  Maine, 
who  took  part  in  the  debate  on  the  subject  of  the  charge  made  by 
iSIrs.  Davis  (author  of  the  "Spy  in  Washington")  against  Mr. 
Ruggles,  of  the  Senate,  of  corrupt  and  dishonest  conduct  in  relation 
to  a  patent.  Mr.  Cilley,  in  debate,  asserted  that  Davis  was  em- 
ployed by  Webb,  a  scoundrel  editor,  who  had  been  bribed  by  the 
president  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  etc.  Webb  was  of  our 
party  to  Washington,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  took  measures,  it 
appears,  to  obtain  satisfaction.  He  applied  to  Mr.  Curtis  and  Mr. 
Draper  to  bear  his  challenge,  both  of  whom  very  properly  refused. 
He  then  called  upon  Mr.  Graves,  of  Kentucky,  a  very  fine  fellow, 
who  has  been  with  us  almost  constantly,  and  he  unfortunately  con- 
sented. He  called  upon  Mr.  Cilley,  who  refused  to  accept  the 
challenge,  on  the  ground  that  Webb  was  not  a  gentleman,  and, 
moreover,  that  he  was  not  bound  to  account  for  words  spoken  in 
debate  ;  upon  which  ]\Ir.  Graves,  according  to  the  ridiculous  code 
of  fionour  which  governs  those  gentlemen,  insisted  upon  his  fighting 
him,  and  after  some  negotiation  it  was  agreed  that  they  should 
fight  this  day.  The  first  suspicion  I  had  of  what  was  going  on 
arose  from  my  meeting  Webb  in  the  passage  at  Gadsby's,  about 
eleven  o'clock,  when  I  told  him  I  was  going  to  take  leave  of  Mr. 
Clay,  who  lives  in  the  same  house  with  Mr.  Graves ;  on  which  he 
said  that  Mr.  Clay,  not  knowing  of  the  extra  train  of  cars  at  noon, 
had  gone  to  Baltimore  early  in  the  morning.  I  went,  however,  to 
their  lodgings,  inquired  for  Mr.  Graves,  and  was  told  by  a  servant 
that  he  had  gone  to  Baltimore ;  but  on  inquiry  found  that  Mr.  Clay 
was  at  home,  and  went  to  his  room,  where  I  saw  and  took  leave  of 
him.  This  circumstance,  together  with  the  mysterious  appearance 
of  things  at  our  lodgings,  caused  me  to  make  inquiry,  and  I  found 
that  Graves  and  Cilley  had  gone  out  to  fight  with  rifles  at  eighty 
yards'  distance,  the  former  with  Mr.  Wise  and  the  latter  with  Gen- 
eral Jones,  of  Wisconsin,  as  seconds ;  both  adepts  in  this  damnable 


294  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

practice,  wlio  would  carry  things  to  the  utmost  extremity,  and  who 
are  said  to  have  gone  armed  for  the  purpose  of  shooting  any 
person  who  might  come  upon  the  ground  to  prevent  this  most 
unnatural  combat. 

The  friends  of  Graves,  who  is  a  gallant  and  amiable  gentleman, 
who  has  his  wife  here  and  his  children  at  home,  are  doing  every- 
thing to  prevent  the  meeting  and  bring  about  a  reconciliation ;  and 
Webb  is  much  distressed  at  being  the  cause  of  his  engaging  in  this 
quarrel,  which  he  had  nothing  to  do  with,  and  much  reason,  I 
think,  he  has.  This  unhappy  affair  has  caused  a  gloom  among  our 
friends,  and  prevented  the  members  of  Congress  from  coming  on 
to  the  public  dinner  prepared  for  us  in  Baltimore.  We  came, 
however  (all  but  Webb),  in  the  extra  car,  soon  after  twelve 
o'clock,  and  arrived  here  at  three.  The  party  consisted  of  King, 
Blatchford,  Giraud,  Ward,  Blunt,  Hoxie,  Patterson,  Draper, 
Ketcham,  and  myself.  The  car  on  our  arrival  was  surrounded 
by  the  populace,  who  expected  to  see  Webster  and  Clay,  and  were 
greatly  disappointed  when  they  found  none  but  us  unimportant 
New  Yorkers,  although  we  were  the  honoured  guests  and  they, 
with  the  other  members,  the  adjuncts  of  the  party.  On  our  arrival 
we  were  waited  upon  by  the  committee,  who  escorted  us  to  the 
Eutaw  House  to  the  great  dinner. 

It  was  gotten  up  in  a  most  splendid  style,  and  we  were  received 
by  two  hundred  of  the  most  respectable  citizens  of  Baltimore,  with 
honour  and  distinction  never  to  be  forgotten.  Dr.  Alexander  pre- 
sided, with  a  large  number  of  vice-presidents.  I,  as  chairman  of 
the  New  York  party,  was  seated  on  the  right  of  the  president,  and 
Colonel  Swift,  Mayor  of  Philadelphia,  on  his  left.  It  was,  of 
course,  my  duty  to  reply  to  the  third  toast,  which  was  a  compli- 
ment to  New  York.  I  was  alarmed  beforehand  for  fear  I  should 
not  do  well,  for  I  had  no  time  for  preparation,  and  my  mind  was 
engrossed  with  the  duel  at  Washington  ;  but  the  occasion  seemed  to 
inspire  me.  I  spoke  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  all  my  friends 
agree  that  it  was  an  excellent  speech.     I  feel  myself  that  it  was 


1S3S.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  295 

the  best  effort  I  ever  made.  Speeches  were  made  in  the  course 
of  the  evening  by  King,  Gerard,  and  Patterson,  of  our  party ;  by 
Colonel  Swift,  Colonel  Finlay,  Reverdy  Johnson,  John  P.  Ken- 
nedy, Juilge  Hanson,  Mr.  Poe,  Mr.  Barney,  Mr.  Ewing,  member 
of  Congress  from  Indiana.  We  had  a  most  beautiful  speech  by  a 
young  lawyer  named  Wallace,  who,  if  he  redeem  the  promise 
given  on  this  occasion,  will  be  a  distinguished  man.  We  broke 
up  at  twelve  o'clock  precisely,  the  arrival  of  the  Sabbath  pre- 
venting us  from  sitting  longer ;  and  thus  ended  the  most  agreeable 
public  dinner  I  ever  witnessed,  and  the  highest  compliment  I  ever 
received. 

February  25.  —  I  heard  early  this  morning  of  the  fatal  termina- 
tion of  this  savage  rencontre.  Mr.  Cilley  was  killed  on  the  third 
fire.  It  was  reported  that  Webb  and  Mr.  Duncan,  of  Ohio,  were 
to  fight  to-day ;  but  it  is  contradicted  by  a  letter  which  I  received 
this  evening  from  Charles  King,  of  wliich  the  following  is  an 
extract :  "  The  fatal  issue  of  the  duel  of  yesterday  has  caused  a 
deep  sensation.  There  will  not  be,  however,  in  my  opinion,  any 
more  fighting.  Webb  is  truly  and  deeply  distressed.  He  will 
remain  here  till  Tuesday,  rather  so  as  not  to  appear  to  avoid  any 
consequences,  than  because  there  are  any  consequences  to  be  appre  - 
hended.  Graves  is,  of  course,  sobered  and  saddened,  though  with 
the  consciousness  that  he  had  done  all  that  he  could  have  done  to 
avoid  fighting.  They  fought  about  five  o'clock,  on  tlie  Annapolis 
road,  and  fired  three  times ;  the  third  shot  from  (]ra\-es  passed 
into  the  cavity  of  Mr.  Cilley's  stomach.  He  placed  his  hand  on 
the  wound,  made  a  convulsive  movement  to  his  second,  fell,  and 
died  without  uttering  a  word.  It  is  singular  that  Cilley,  who,  in 
practising  the  day  before,  had  shot  eleven  balls  in  succession  into 
a  space  not  bigger  than  your  hand,  did  not  hit  Graves  at  all.  So 
confident  were  Mr.  Cilley's  political  friends  that  Graves  would  be 
killed,  that  in  the  House,  during  the  day,  there  was,  it  is  said,  man- 
ifest exultation  at  the  idea.  Some  washenvoman  or  servant  told 
Mrs.  Crittenden,  in  the  hearing  of  Mrs.  Graves,  that  Mr.  Graves  had 


296  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

gone  out  to  fight,  and  she  had  to  pass  five  mortal  hours  in  all  the 
agony  of  suspense.  Mr.  Clay,  whom  I  saw  in  his  bed  this  morn- 
ing, told  me  he  had  had  an  interview  with  her,  so  fearful  that  it 
had  absolutely  kept  him  awake  all  night,  and  made  him  so  sick 
and  nervous  this  morning,  from  the  mere  recollection  of  it,  that 
he  cannot  get  up.  The  event  of  Mr.  Cilley's  death  will  be  an- 
nounced to-morrow.  The  funeral  will  then  take  place,  and  of 
course  both  Houses  will  adjourn.  It  is  not  impossible  that  after 
the  death  is  announced  some  discussion  may  arise  upon  the  man- 
ner of  the  death,  and  some  attempt  be  made  to  censure  the  prac- 
tice generally,  and  perhaps  in  this  particular  case  even." 

March  6.  —  A  committee  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
,"^  '."  sentatives  has  been  appointed  to  investigate  the  cir- 

Washington.  ^  ^  ° 

cumstances  attending  the  late  duel  between  Messrs. 
Graves  and  Cilley,  with  power  to  send  for  persons  and  papers.  In 
the  Senate,  Mr.  Prentiss,  of  Vermont,  has  introduced  a  bill  to  prevent 
duelling  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  making  it  death  for  the  sur- 
vivor, and  imposing  ten  years'  imprisonment  upon  all  persons 
concerned  in  sending  a  challenge. 

March  10.  —  The  papers  are  filled  with  this  painful  subject. 
Some  of  the  vile  supporters  of  the  administration  attempt  to  give 
it  a  political  bearing.  These  men,  who  have  always  supported  Jack- 
son and  made  him  the  standard  of  their  religion,  morals,  and 
politics,  are  now  loud  in  their  condemnation  of  the  practice  of 
duelling,  although  the  wooden  god  of  their  idolatry  was  known  as 
one  of  the  most  notorious  duellists  in  the  United  States,  and  even 
had  a  rencontre  of  the  most  savage  and  sanguinary  character  with 
another  of  their  oracles,  Mr.  Benton,  of  the  Senate.  The  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  consistently  with  the  dignity  of  its 
high  station,  put  the  seal  of  condemnation  upon  the  practice  of 
duelling,  by  refusing  to  attend  officially  the  funeral  of  Mr.  Cilley, 
and  declaring  the  determination  of  the  court  not  to  unite  here- 
after in  the  funeral  obsequies  of  any  person  who  shall  have  fallen 
in  a  duel 


1S3S.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  297 


March    15.  —  The   speeches  on  this  all- engrossing 

Treasury 
Bill. 


Sub-Treasury     ^^^.^^^    .^^    ^^^    g^^^^^    ^^.jj    ^^    ^^        ^^^      Calhoun    haS 


replied  to  Mr.  Clay,  and  Mr.  Clay  has  come  in  with 
a  rejoinder.  Mr.  Bayard  has  spoken  with  his  usual  grace  and 
urbanity  against  the  bill,  and  Benton,  \\'ith  his  "front  de  bxnf,'''  has 
roared  in  its  favour ;  and  that  admirable  old  man,  Asher  Robbins,  of 
Rhode  Island,  who  charmed  us  at  Mr.  Webster's  dinner  with  his 
eulogy  on  Washington,  has  added  his  testimony  against  the  bill  to 
that  of  his  illustrious  coadjutors,  in  a  short  speech,  pure,  eloquent, 
and  classical  as  usual.  The  giant  of  Massachusetts,  the  defender 
of  the  Constitution,  came  to  the  rescue  on  Monday  last,  on  which 
day  he  spoke  five  hours,  and  finished  on  Tuesday  in  a  continuation 
of  four  hours.  It  is  said  on  all  hands  to  ha\-e  been  the  greatest 
speech  he  ever  made,  greater  even  than  his  reply  to  General 
Hayne,  on  Foote's  resolutions. 

The  Hon.  Paine  Wingate,  of  Stratham,  New  Hamp- 
cT\-^  \tx&  ^hire,  died  last  week,  at  the  age  of  ninety-nine  years. 
He  wasa  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  and  for  several 
years  (since  the  death  of  Dr.  Holyoke)  the  oldest  graduate  of  that 
institution,  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  Hampshire  from 
1798  until  1809.  He  was  emphatically  a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school ;  the  confidant  and  adviser  of  Washington  while  President. 
His  gait  was  erect  and  his  deportment  graceful.  He  wore  a  cocked 
hat,  breeches  and  top-boots,  and  cambric  ruffles  at  his  breast  and 
wrists.  His  lady  survives  him  at  the  age  of  ninety-five.  She  is 
the  sister  of  the  late  Thomas  Pickering. 

March  16. — ^Died  last  evening,  John  Treat  Irving, 
,'^f'\"  .        in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age,  —  one  of   my  oldest 

Judge  Irving.  ■'  ^    '  ^ 

acquaintances ;  we  were  playmates  forty-five  years  ago  ; 
afterward  associated  in  the  literary  institutions,  to  which  I  now  look 
back  as  the  sources  from  which  in  my  youthful  days  I  derived  great 
enjoyment,  and  prospective  advantages  during  my  future  life.  We 
have  ever  since  been  good  friends,  and  the  most  cordial  feelings 
have  subsisted  between  us.     Of  different  professions,  and  disagree- 


298  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILIP    HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

ing  in  politics  at  our  start  in  life,  the  intimacy  which  commenced  so 
hapjnly  did  not  continue  so  close  as  in  our  early  years,  but  our 
personal  friendship  and  mutual  regard  was  never  impaired ;  and  I 
now  mourn  for  his  loss,  as  almost  the  last  of  the  associates  of  my 
early  years. 

March  24.  —  The  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means  of  the  House 
of  Assembly  have  made  a  report  on  the  finances  and  internal  im- 
provements of  the  State,  said  to  be  the  production  of  their  chairman, 
Mr.  Samuel  B.  Ruggles,  member  from  this  city,  —  one  of  the  ablest 
financial  and  statistical  State  papers  which  has  ever  been  produced 
in  this  country.  It  presents  the  most  glowing  picture  of  the  present 
resources  and  future  prospects  of  the  State,  the  result,  not  of  san- 
guine and  exaggerating  fancy,  but  of  plain  facts  and  accurate 
calculations.  It  shows  the  most  perfect  ability  to  carry  into  effect 
all  the  splendid  plans  of  internal  improvement  which  have  been 
projected  or  advised  by  the  liberal-minded  politicians  of  the  State, 
and  refutes  most  conclusively  the  arguments  of  Silas  Wright,  when 
he  was  comptroller,  and  his  political  hangers-on,  that  the  works 
then  in  progress  could  not  be  completed  without  recourse  to  direct 
taxation.  On  the  contrary,  all  the  facts  and  arguments  of  the 
masterly  report  tend  to  support  the  opinion  expressed  in  the  con- 
cluding resolution  :  "  That  it  is  not  necessary  or  expedient  to  levy  a 
direct  tax."  This  report  appears  to  be  the  result  of  deep  study  and 
elaborate  investigation.  It  is  extremely  well  written,  remarkable 
for  close  reasoning,  and  a  style,  clear,  simple,  and  occasionally 
eloquent.  It  has  no  hard  words,  no  popular  clap-traps,  no  meta- 
physical humbug,  but  is  better  to  read  and  easier  to  understand, 
by  all  sorts  of  people  who  can  read  or  understand  anything,  than 
any  paper  on  the  same  or  a  similar  subject,  extending  to  the  length 
of  eight  close  columns  of  a  newspaper,  that  I  have  ever  read. 

When  Mr.  Wright,  then  comptroller,  in  order  to  convince  the 
people  of  the  State  that  they  were  going  too  far  in  the  works  of 
internal  improvement,  and  would  have  to  resort  to  taxation,  told 
them  that  the  revenue  of  the  canals  at  that  time,    181 7,  which 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  299 

amounted  to  $150,000,  was  the  true  basis  of  a  prospective  calcula- 
tion for  the  ensuing  ten  years,  and  when  Mr.  Ruggles  now  shows 
them  that  this  revenue  amounted  during  those  ten  years  to  more 
than  ten  millions,  they  will  begin  to  doubt,  one  would  think,  the 
infallibility  of  their  wooden  oracle.  And  when  they  remember  how 
obstinately  the  wise  plans  and  enlightened  predictions  of  DeWitt 
Clinton,  Gouverneur  Morris,  and  Jonas  Piatt  were  opposed,  ridi- 
culed, and  thwarted  by  this  same  Mr.  Wright  and  the  men  who  now 
swear  by  him,  until  they  could  no  longer  hope  to  deceive  the  people, 
but  were  compelled  to  come  into  those  great  plans  which  contributed 
so  largely  to  the  glory  and  prosperity  of  the  State,  and  then  un- 
gratefully sought  to  deprive  those  men  of  the  merit  of  originating 
the  plans,  —  when  all  these  things,  I  say,  are  seen  and  reflected 
upon,  it  would  seem  impossible  that  the  people  should  not  turn 
from  their  false  prophets,  no  longer  rely  upon  those  who  have  so 
often  deceived  them,  nor  fail  to  discover  that  Samuel  B.  Ruggles  is 
more  worthy  of  credit  than  Silas  Wright. 

March    26.  —  This    hard-fought   and    long-debated 
Sub-Trcasury    ^.jj  ^^^^^^^^  ^j^^  g^^^^^  j,^^^  ^^  Saturday  night.     Every 

senator  was  present ;  but  before  the  finishing  stroke 
was  put  upon  it,  it  was  divested  of  its  most  exceptionable  features. 
It  was  no  longer  the  monster  which  Silas  Wright  introduced,  inso- 
much that  Mr.  Calhoun,  who  has  so  deeply  compromised  his  fair 
fame  in  its  support,  was  constrained  to  vote  against  it  on  the  final 
vote.  It  was  not  bad  enough  for  him.  Its  effects  would  not  be 
so  sudden  nor  so  certain  as  he  wished,  to  break  down  the  North 
and  East.  It  can  be  considered  in  no  other  light  than  a  triumph 
for  the  talents  and  patriotism  of  the  glorious  band  of  Whig  senators. 
The  first  cut  of  the  pruning-knife  slew  the  23d  section,  which 
made  the  dues  of  all  kinds  to  the  government  payable  exclusively 
in  specie.  Mr.  Webster  moved  to  fill  up  the  vacancy  by  inserting 
a  section  providing  "  that  no  distinction  shall  hereafter  be  made 
between  the  different  branches  of  the  revenue,  as  to  the  funds  or 
the  medium  of  payment  in  which  the  debts  or  dues  accruing  to  the 


300  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

government  shall  be  paid  or  discharged."  This  amendment,  which 
was  carried,  37  to  14,  repeals  the  famous  specie  circular,  the  favour- 
ite measure  of  Benton  and  the  other  Loco-focos,  and  is  a  solid 
triumph  of  the  Webster  policy. 

March  27. — The  administration  men,  who  are  en- 
Dueiiing.  dcavouring  to  make  a  political  use  of  the  late  unfortu- 
nate duel  at  Washington,  are  reminded  by  the  Portland 
"  Advertiser "  of  the  opinions  of  their  Grand  Lama,  General 
Jackson,  on  this  subject,  by  the  publication  of  the  following  horrid 
anecdote  relating  to  the  bloody  murder  of  Dickenson  by  Jackson,  in 
1806.  The  account  given  by  Dr.  May,  the  surgeon  of  Jackson,  in 
letters  dated  Nashville,  Sept.  16  and  17,  181 7,  states:  "They  were 
to  fire  as  soon  as  the  word  was  given.  When  the  word  was  given 
Dickenson  fired  instantly ;  but  Jackson,  after  Dickenson  had  fired, 
deliberately  buttoned  up  his  coat,  took  deliberate  aim,  and  fired. 
Dickenson  fell  on  his  face,  uttered  a  groan,  and  expired.  In  a 
letter  to  a  friend  soon  after,  Jackson  said  :  '  I  left  the  damned 
rascal  weltering  in  his  blood.'  "  This  is  one  of  the  good  deeds  for 
which  Andrew  Jackson  has  been  rewarded  by  the  people  with  the 
highest  honours  in  their  gift. 

ALBAm^  April  5.  —  The  weather  being  fine,  and  a  nice  little 
day-boat  called  the  "  Vanderbilt "  starting  to-day,  I  came  here  to 
indulge  my  desire  to  see  our  Whig  House  of  Assembly,  and  my 
friend,  the  admirable  Speaker.  If  the  Whigs  are  not  proud  of 
both  the  one  and  the  other,  they  have  not  so  much  pride  in  their 
work  as  they  had  discrimination  in  the  selection  of  the  materials. 
When  I  arrived  in  Albany  the  House  was  in  session ;  there  never 
was  so  hard-working  a  set  of  men  in  any  public  body ;  they  meet  at 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  continue  in  session  until  late 
in  the  evening,  with  an  interval  of  an  hour  to  bolt  their  dinners 
a  rAmericaine.  Never  did  men  earn  harder  their  stinted  pay  of 
three  dollars  a  day,  —  about  two  shillings  an  hour  for  working- 
time  ;  a  price  at  which  I  used  to  find  it  difficult  to  hire  labourers 
to  hoist  goods  for  me  at  the  old  corner. 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   miLIP   HONE.  301 

The  House  was  in  Committee  of  the  Whole  when  I  went  in,  and 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  shaking  hands  with  the  Speaker,  and  my 
numerous  other  political  friends,  who  collectively  make  this  House 
a  credit  to  the  State.  I  certainly  have  never  seen  so  good-looking 
a  legislative  body ;  it  comprises  a  large  proportion  of  talents  and 
character,  and  is  marked  for  decorum,  propriety,  patriotism,  and 
zeal  in  the  public  ser\dce. 

April  6. — The  House  of  Assembly  has  passed  a  general  banking 
law,  which,  it  is  thought,  will  afford  relief  to  the  city  of  New  York. 
It  is  expected  to  pass  the  Senate.  Other  measures  also  will  be 
adopted  for  the  relief  of  the  banks.  The  time  for  the  resumption 
of  specie  payments  is  near  at  hand,  and  great  alarm  exists  in  New 
York  from  the  fact,  now  ascertained,  that  the  same  measure  will  not 
be  adopted  in  the  other  cities. 

Luther  Bradish  is  the  very  model  of  a  Speaker ;  never  was  a 
chair  so  filled.  With  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  detail  of  legisla- 
tive business,  there  is  a  dignity  of  deportment,  a  suavity  of  manner, 
promptitude  of  action,  and  correctness  of  decision  which  has  se- 
cured for  him  the  affection  of  his  political  friends,  and  the  respect 
of  his  opponents,  in  a  greater  degree  than  any  of  his  predecessors 
have  ever  possessed.  It  is,  indeed,  "well  worth  while,"  as  Ruggles 
said  in  a  letter  which  I  lately  received  from  him,  "to  take  a  trip  to 
Albany  only  to  see  our  ow7i  Jove  seated  on  his  high  Olympus." 

Mr.  Ruggles  has  gained  great  renown  by  his  admirable  report 
on  "  the  finances  and  internal  improvement  of  the  State."  It  has 
worked  wonders  in  the  minds  of  the  members,  and  all  parties  are 
now  striving  to  be  foremost  in  carrying  out  the  principles  of  that 
report.  The  city  of  New  York  has  reason  to  be  well  satisfied  with 
its  delegation,  —  the  best  we  have  had  for  many  years,  —  and  they 
possess  an  influence  in  the  Legislature,  the  want  of  wliich  has  been 
hitherto  severely  felt.  Silliman,  from  Kings,  and  John  A.  King, 
from  Queens,  are  worthy  coadjutors  of  their  brother  Whigs  from 
New  York.  These  gentlemen  have  taken  a  high  stand  and  are 
much  respected. 


302  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

April  21.  —  Gold  has  flowed  into  our  city,  during  the  present 
week,  in  streams  more  copious  than  has  ever  before  been  known. 
The  influx  of  the  tide  is  greater  than  was  its  reflux.  The  fall  in 
the  exchange  with  England,  and  the  astonishing  accumulation  of 
specie  in  England,  have  caused  shipments  to  the  enormous  amount 
of  two  millions  of  pounds  sterhng.  The  Bank  of  England  sends 
out  a  million  of  sovereigns,  the  Rothschilds  250,000,  and  the  rest 
by  other  banking-houses,  while  at  the  same  time  large  amounts  are 
arriving  daily  from  South  America  and  the  West  Indies.  A  great 
proportion  of  the  shipments  from  England  come  to  Prime,  Ward, 
&  King.  It  was  to  effect  this  negotiation  that  James  G.  King  went 
to  England,  and  it  is  presumed  that  he  has  pledged  American 
stocks  for  the  amount  he  has  brought  away.  This  change  in  the 
money  affairs  of  the  country  will  facilitate  the  resumption  of  specie 
payments  by  the  banks  of  our  State,  which  must  take  place  in  the 
middle  of  May,  or  their  charters  will  be  forfeited,  the  Legislature 
having  adjourned  without  extending  the  time  of  suspension  beyond 
that  period.  It  is  also  hoped  that  this  golden  stream  will  force 
open  the  doors  of  the  banks  in  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  other 
places,  which  have  refused  to  come  into  the  measure,  and  will 
produce  the  desirable  effect  of  a  simultaneous  resumption  at  the 
time  our  banks  have  fixed.  Without  this  the  domestic  exchanges 
will  continue  to  be  ruinous  for  the  New  York  merchants ;  but,  with 
a  unity  of  action  on  this  highly  interesting  subject,  there  is  a 
reasonable  prospect  of  better  times.  All  we  want  is,  that  honest 
men  should  be  enabled  to  realize  the  means  of  paying  their  debts, 
at  least  as  far  as  those  means  are  adequate  to  the  purpose. 

Great  Britain  hastened  the  awful  crisis  in  this  country  by  with- 
drawing suddenly  the  support  of  the  bank  from  the  American 
houses,  and  now  that  she  finds  herself  suffering  for  the  want  of  our 
custom,  our  merchants  being  determined  to  buy  no  more  goods 
until  they  have  paid  their  debts,  she  pours  back  upon  us  of  the 
superfluity  of  her  metallic  treasures,  by  which  she  hopes  (and  with 
good  reason)  to  set  again  in  motion  the  wheels  of  commerce,  and, 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  303 

like  a  kind,  relenting  mother,  to  coax  back  to  her  arms  her  sturdy 
offspring.  Both  parties  seem  to  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
they  cannot  do  without  each  other. 

I  went  this  evening  to  a  meeting  of  the  Kent  Club,  at  ^Mr.  J. 
Prescott  Hall's.  We  had  a  large  party  of  judges  and  lawyers,  with 
Granger  and  Seward,  and  other  distinguished  strangers ;  Charles 
King  and  myself  the  only  resident  laymen.  The  last  hour  of  these 
very  pleasant  reunions  bears  a  pretty  strong  resemblance  to  the 
high  jinks  which  Sir  Walter  Scott  describes  so  well  (and  no  doubt 
from  personal  knowledge)  in  "  Guy  Mannering." 

April  23.  —  The    British   steamer  "  Sirius,"    Lieut, 
rnva  o  t  e    ;^j(,j^^j.^j  Roberts,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  commander,  ar- 

"  Sinus."  '  J  J  J 

rived  here  last  evening,  having  sailed  from  Cork  on  the 
4th.  She  has  performed  the  voyage  without  any  accident,  except 
the  slight  one  of  grounding  at  Sandy  Hook,  from  which  she  will  have 
been  extricated  by  this  time.  She  has  on  board  forty-six  passengers. 
The  "  Sirius  "  comes  out  as  pioneer  to  the  great  steam-packet 
which  is  preparing  to  come  to  this  country.  She  was  to  have 
sailed  on  the  2d  inst.  from  Cork,  and  has  been  looked  for  with 
some  anxiety  the  last  three  or  four  days ;  but  the  wind  has  been 
westerly  during  her  whole  voyage,  and  her  passage  has  been  longer 
than  it  will  be  hereafter.  The  arrival  of  the  "  Sirius  ''  is  an  event 
of  so  great  an  interest  that  the  corporation  of  the  city  appointed  a 
joint  committee  to  receive  and  visit  her  on  her  arrival.  This  com- 
mittee, of  which  Alderman  Hoxie  is  chairman,  have  made  arrange- 
ments with  Mr.  Buchanan  for  that  purpose,  and  they  will  probably 
make  a  jollification  on  the  occasion.  It  is  stated  in  the  morning 
papers  that  the  "  Sirius,"  since  her  departure  from  Cork,  has  used 
only  fresh  water  in  her  boilers,  having  on  board  Mr.  Hall's  con- 
densing apparatus. 

It  was  an  agreeable  coincidence  that  the  great  steam- 

Western."        ^02i\.  of  which  the  "  Sirius  "  was,  as  I  said,  the  pioneer, 

should  have  arrived  this  morning  just  in  time  to  have 

the  event  celebrated  and  the  officers  entertained  at  the  anniversary 


304  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

dinner  of  St.  George's  Society,  the  red-cross  banner  floating  from 
the  windcivvs  of  the  "  banquet  hall,"  the  Carlton  House. 

The  "  Great  Western  "  (for  such  is  the  rather  awkward  name  of 
this  noble  steamer)  came  up  from  Sandy  Hook  about  two  o'clock, 
passed  around  the  "  Sirius,"  then  lying  at  anchor  off  the  Battery, 
and,  proceeding  up  the  East  river,  hauled  into  Pike  slip.  She  is 
much  larger  than  her  avant-courrier,  being  the  largest  vessel  pro- 
pelled by  steam  which  has  yet  made  her  appearance  in  the  waters 
of  Europe.  Her  registered  measurement  is  1,604  tons,  length 
234  feet,  breadth  from  out  to  out  of  the  paddle-boxes  58  feet, 
'with  her  engines  and  machinery  of  450  horse  power.  She  is  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant  Hoskin,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  and  owned  by 
the  "  Great  Western  Steam  Navigation  Company."  She  sailed 
from  Bristol  on  the  8th  inst.,  four  days  later  than  the  departure  of 
the  "  Sirius  "  from  Cork,  performing  thus  her  voyage,  under  the 
disadvantages  of  new  machinery  and  a  prevalence  of  head-winds, 
in  fifteen  days. 

The  city  was  in  a  ferment  during  the  day,  from  the  arrival  of 
these  two  interesting  strangers.  The  Battery  and  adjacent  streets 
were  crowded  with  curious  spectators,  and  the  water  covered  with 
boats  conveying  obtrusive  visitors  on  board.  The  committee  of 
arrangements  of  the  Corporation  have  fixed  upon  to-morrow,  at  one 
o'clock,  for  the  two  Houses,  with  their  guests,  to  visit  the  "  Sirius," 
where  a  collation  will  be  prepared  for  them,  on  which  occasion  her 
commander,  Lieutenant  Roberts,  is  to  receive  the  freedom  of  the 
city. 

The  passengers  on  board  the  two  vessels  speak  in  the  highest 
terms  of  the  convenience,  steadiness,  and  apparent  safety  of  the 
new  mode  of  conveyance  across  the  ocean.  Everybody  is  so 
enamoured  of  it,  that  for  a  while  it  will  supersede  the  New  York 
packets,  —  the  noblest  vessels  that  ever  floated  in  the  merchant 
service.  Our  countrymen,  "  studious  of  change,  and  pleased  with 
novelty,"  will  rush  forward  to  visit  the  shores  of  Europe  instead  of 
resorting  to  Virginia  or  Saratoga  Springs ;  and  steamers  will  con- 


iSjS.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  305 

tinue  to  be  the  fashion  until  some  more  dashing  adv'cnturer  of  the 
go-ahead  tribe  shall  demonstrate  the  practicability  of  balloon  navi- 
gation, and  gratify  their  impatience  by  a  voyage  over,  and  not 
tipon,  the  blue  waters  in  two  days,  instead  of  as  many  weeks, 
thereby  escaping  the  rocks  and  shoals  and  headlands  which  con- 
tinue yet  to  fright  the  minds  of  timid  passengers  and  cautious  navi- 
gators. Then  they  may  soar  above  the  dangers  of  icebergs,  and 
look  down  with  contempt  upon  the  Goodwin  sands  or  Hempstead 
beach.  As  for  me,  I  am  still  skeptical  on  this  subject.  It  would 
be  presumptyous  in  this  age  of  mechanical  and  scientific  miracles 
to  doubt  the  success  of  any  startling  experiment,  or  even  to  hint 
the  possible  difficulty  of  a  contrivance  by  which  a  man  might  bite 
off  his  own  nose ;  but,  after  the  experience  I  have  had  of  such 
ships  as  the  "  England  "  or  the  "Sylvie  de  Grasse,"  I  should  hesi- 
tate to  trust  to  the  powers  of  the  air  or  the  fire-god  for  my  trans- 
portation and  safe-conduct  over  this  rivulet  of  blue  water  of  three 
thousand  miles  in  width,  which  separates  us  from  the  land  of  our 
fathers. 

April  24.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  :  Messrs. 
Francis  Granger,  William  H.  Seward,  John  A.  King,  Charles 
King,  John  Duer,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  Samuel  Welles,  Charles  H. 
Russell,  and  M.  H.  Grinnell. 

April  25.  —  The  arrival  of  the  two  British  steamers, 
stclnshi""  "^  ^'^^  "  Sirius  "  and  the  "  Great  Western,"  is  the  engross- 
ing topic  of  our  novelty-loving  population ;  but  whilst 
all  honour  is  awarded  to  the  projectors  of  these  voyages,  and  every 
sort  of  compliment  extended  to  the  gallant  commanders,  Yankee 
pride  is  a  little  aroused,  and  the  merit  of  originality  in  the  daring 
enterprise  of  crossing  the  ocean  by  steam  is  successfully  wrested 
from  our  brethren  on  the  other  side.  The  first  voyage  was  made 
in  1819,  from  Savannah,  in  the  steamship  "  Savannah,"  built  in  New 
York  by  Francis  Fickett,  owned  by  Daniel  Dodd,  and  commanded 
by  Capt.  Moses  Rogers.  She  went  to  Liverpool,  and  thence  to 
Stockholm  and  St.  Petersburgh,  where  she  was  visited  by,  and  the 


306  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

commander  received  presents  from,  Bernadotte,  Crown  Prince  of 
Sweden,  and  from  the  Emperor  of  Russia.  The  same  vessel  went 
aftenvard  to  Constantinople,  where  the  Sultan  conferred  on  Captain 
Rogers  similar  compliments.  This  experiment,  it  would  appear, 
however,  did  not  succeed  entirely ;  it  is  certain  that  she  did  not 
make  short  voyages,  which  circumstance  may  account  for  so  long 
a  time  having  elapsed  before  the  attempt  was  renewed. 

The  fact  of  the  Americans  being  the  first  inventors  of  sea 
navigation  by  steam  is  consolatory  to  our  national  pride,  but 
should  not  derogate  from  the  credit  of  the  British,  who  have  now 
proved  so  triumphantly  its  feasibility,  any  more  than  the  immortal 
discovery  and  construction  of  the  steam-engine  by  British  subjects 
should  lessen  the  merit  of  our  own  Fulton,  who  first  applied  its 
power  to  the  most  important  of  its  uses,  the  propelling  of  vessels. 

April  27.  —  Having  received  an  invitation  to  accompany  the 
Mayor  and  Corporation  in  their  visit  to  the  British  steamer 
"  Great  Western,"  I  went  to  the  Mayor's  office  at  one  o'clock, 
where  was  assembled,  besides  the  members  of  the  Corporation,  a 
large  company,  among  whom  w^ere  the  judges,  members  of  the 
Legislature,  Mr.  Webster,  Governor  Mason  of  Michigan,  Mr. 
Bradish,  the  Speaker,  the  editors  of  papers,  etc.  From  the  hall 
we  proceeded  to  the  foot  of  Beekman  street,  where  the  company 
was  taken  on  board  the  barges  to  the  number  of  about  twenty, 
each  commanded  by  an  officer  in  full  uniform,  with  a  fine  set  of 
bargemen  and  bearing  the  American  flag  in  her  stern.  When 
the  company  was  embarked,  the  barges  formed  in  procession, 
a  band  of  music  in  the  first,  the  whole  commanded  by  Captain 
Stringham,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  and  proceeded  to  the 
steamer,  which  was  moored  a  few  yards  from  the  dock,  off 
Pike  street.  We  were  received  in  good  style  by  Captain  Hoskin 
and  his  officers,  and,  after  examining  the  stupendous  machinery 
of  the  great  vessel,  the  company  were  escorted  to  the  saloon, 
and  seated  (all  who  could  get  seats)  at  a  plentiful  collation, 
arranged  in  excellent  taste,  with  oceans  of  champagne.     Messrs. 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  307 

Bradish,  Webster,  Maxwell,  the  Mayor,  and  other  gentlemei. 
made  speeches  and  gave  toasts,  and  the  British  captains,  Hoskin 
of  the  "  Great  Western,"  and  Roberts  of  the  "  Sirius,"  appeared 
to  be  as  happy  as  they  said  they  were.  The  lovely  Queen  of 
Britain  was  toasted  with  enthusiasm  equal  to  any  which  warms 
the  hearts  of  her  own  subjects  in  their  own  country,  and  John 
Bull  and  Brother  Jonathan  were  as  loving  as  a  young  couple  in 
the  honeymoon.  Long  may  these  feelings  continue  !  The 
whole  affair  went  off  brilliantly.  The  day  was  uncommonly  fine, 
and  the  scene  on  the  water,  with  the  crowds  of  spectators  on  the 
wharves,  was  not  the  least  exciting  part  of  the  pageant. 

The  vessel  exceeds  my  expectation.  Her  steam-engine  of 
four  hundred  horse  power  and  the  other  machinery  are  upon  a 
magnificent  scale,  and  the  accommodations  for  passengers  in  the 
best  possible  taste  ;  the  principal  saloon  is  surrounded  by  forty- 
two  state-rooms,  sufficiently  capacious.  The  ornaments  are  of  the 
quaint,  old-fashioned  style,  and  the  panels  are  decorated  by  ex- 
quisite paintings,  in  the  costumes  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XV.,  which 
give  to  the  whole  of  this  beautiful  apartment  the  appearance  of 
a  cabinet  of  old  Dresden  china.  One  of  the  greatest  advantages 
which  this  saloon  has  over  the  cabins  of  the  packets  consists  in 
the  height  of  the  ceiling,  which  affords  light  and  air  equal  to  a 
well-proportioned  dining-room  or  parlour  on  shore.  All  that  is 
now  wanting  to  confine  to  the  steam-vessels  the  patronage  of  all 
the  passengers  going  to  Europe  is  the  assurance  of  safety,  and 
that  will  be  obtained  by  one  or  two  more  passages  across  the 
Atlantic. 

May  I.  —  The  "Sirius"  sailed  at  one  o'clock,  passed  the 
packets  in  fine  style,  and,  the  weather  being  pleasant  and  the 
sea  calm,  was  soon  out  of  sight  ahead.  The  Battery  was  filled 
with  spectators,  who  gave  repeated  cheers  to  the  interesting 
stranger,  and  she  was  saluted  from  the  forts  on  her  progress 
down  the  bay.  ^Lay  she  perform  her  return  voyage  with  as 
much  safety  and  expedition  as  the  voyage   out,  and  thereby  es- 


308  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  5S. 

tablish  full  confidence  in  this  admirable  mode  of  communication 
between  Great  Britain  and  the   United  States  ! 

The  most  shocking  disaster  on  board  a  steamboat 
steamboat       ^yhich   has   vct   been  recorded  occurred  on  the  2=;th 

Disaster.  ^  '^ 

of  April,  at  Cincinnati.  The  steamboat  "  Moselle " 
started  from  the  wharf  on  her  voyage  down  the  river.  She  went 
up  about  a  mile  to  take  in  a  family ;  and  during  the  time  of  her 
stopping,  the  steam  was  held  up,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  off 
her  speed  in  passing  the  city,  when,  at  the  instant  her  wheels 
made  the  first  revolution,  the  boilers  burst  with  a  noise  equal  to 
the  most  violent  crash  of  thunder.  The  vessel  was  blown  into 
a  thousand  pieces,  and  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  passengers  on 
board  only  ninety  were  saved.  Most  of  the  persons  on  board 
belonged  to  Cincinnati,  and  in  the  number  were  many  of  the 
most  respectable  citizens,  who  were  thus  destroyed  in  an  instant 
by  the  culpable  conduct  of  the  captain  and  other  officers,  in 
sight  of  their  families  and  friends,  who  were  assembled  on  shore 
to  witness  their  departure.  The  captain  paid  the  penalty  of 
his  crime,  he  being  of  the  number  killed.  The  papers  are  filled 
with  the  details  of  this  shocking  catastrophe,  which  cannot  be 
read  without  shuddering. 

May  4.  —  The  subject  of  the  late  unfortunate  duel 
epr>r  on     e   ^gj-^^^^gj^  Messis.  Gravcs  and  Cilley,  which  resulted  in 

Duel  Case.  -' ' 

the  death  of  the  latter,  was  referred  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  to  a  special  committee,  of  which  Mr.  Toucey  is 
chairman.  To  the  disgrace  of  the  administration  party,  instead  of 
making  this  lamentable  case  the  occasion  of  correcting  the  popular 
code  of  morals  in  relation  to  these  personal  encounters,  and 
thereby  removing  as  far  as  practicable  this  stain  of  blood-guiltiness 
from  our  land,  they  seized  it  with  avidity,  and  endeavoured  to  turn 
it  into  part  of  their  detestable  party  capital.  The  Speaker  ap- 
pointed on  the  committee  of  seven,  a  chairman  and  three  other 
thorough  whole-hog  men,  political  enemies  of  Mr.  Graves  and  his 
second  in  the  duel,  Mr.  Wise,  —  fellows  who  would  sell  their  souls 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  309 

for  their  party,  and  have  no  more  notion  of  political  honesty  than 
they  have  of  the  refined  feelings  of  gentlemen.  This  committee 
has  now  brought  in  a  report,  recommending  that  Mr.  Graves  be 
expelled  and  Mr.  Wise  reprimanded  by  the  House, — the  most 
outrageous  proceeding  I  have  ever  known  in  a  legislative  body, 
—  a  grand  jury  trying  the  accused,  convicting  them,  and  awarding 
their  punishment ;  a  greater  violation  (as  Mr.  Adams  told  them) 
of  the  privileges  of  the  House  than  the  offence  itself,  which  the 
committee  were  appointed  to  investigate. 

This  report  has  been  before  the  House  several  days,  and  occa- 
sioned a  warm  debate.  Some  high-minded  gentlemen  of  the 
administration  party  cannot  be  made  to  swallow  it.  Mr.  Adams 
made  a  great  speech,  in  which  he  placed  the  unworthy  conduct  of 
the  majoiity  in  such  a  point  of  view  as  would  have  made  them 
blush,  if  their  instructions  had  permitted.  On  Monday  last,  Mr. 
Graves  and  ]\Ir.  Wise  both  addressed  the  House,  protesting  against 
this  unparliamentary  course  of  proceeding,  which  would  consti- 
tute four  political  adversaries  their  judges,  and  condemn  them 
unheard. 

Mr.  Graves  closed  his  speech  with  the  following  touching  re- 
marks, which,  while  they  depict  his  sensibility  and  distress  of 
mind  for  the  part  which  he  had  to  sustain  in  that  unhappy  affair, 
portray  in  glowing  colours  the  absurdity  of  the  tyranny  which  is 
exercised  by  public  opinion  over  the  minds  and  consciences  of 
the  people  of  this  country  in  all  things  relating  to  affairs  of  honour, 
as  we  most  unwisely  call  them.  Who  that  read  them  would  ven- 
*ture  to  decide  that  the  lot  of  the  survivor  in  this  duel  is  better 
than  that  of  the  victim?  And  who  that  knows  as  I  do,  this 
amiable  and  high-minded  gentleman,  would  not  desire  to  pour 
the  balm  of  consolation  into  his  afflicted  bosom,  rather  than  seek 
to  make  the  event  which  he,  in  common  with  all  good  men,  so 
deeply  deplores,  a  subject  for  the  display  of  personal  hostility 
and  a  weapon  of  political  warfare  ?  "  Sir,"  said  Mr.  Graves,  "  I 
was  involved  in  the  commencement  of  this  unfortunate  affair  in- 


3IO  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

nocently.  I  never  conceived  it  possible  that  such  consequences 
would  have  devolved  upon  me  when  I  consented  to  become  the 
bearer  of  that  ill-fated  note.  Otherwise  I  should  never  have 
taken  upon  myself  the  task.  I  am  not,  and  never  have  been,  the 
advocate  of  the  anti-social  and  unchristian  practice  of  duelling. 
I  have  never  up  to  this  day  fired  a  duelling  pistol ;  and,  until  the 
day  when  I  went  to  the  field,  I  never  took  any  weapon  in  my 
hand  in  view  of  a  duel.  Public  opinion  is  practically  the  para- 
mount law  of  the  land ;  every  other  law,  both  human  and  divine, 
ceases  to  be  observed,  yea,  withers  and  perishes,  in  contact  with 
it.  It  was  this  paramount  law  of  this  nation  and  of  this  House 
that  forced  me,  under  the  penalty  of  dishonour,  to  submit  myself 
to  the  code  which  impelled  me  unwillingly  into  this  tragical  affair. 
Upon  the  heads  of  this  nation  and  at  the  doors  of  this  House 
rests  the  blood  with  which  my  unfortunate  hands  have  been 
stained." 

May  5.  —  Captain  Marryat,  having  given  lately  at  Toronto  a 
very  injudicious  toast,  complimentary  to  Captain  Drew  and  his 
associates,  who  destroyed  the  American  steamboat  "  Caroline," 
the  wise  people  of  Lewistown  held  a  solemn  town-meeting,  at 
which  they  resolved  to  burn  all  Captain  Marryat's  books  which 
could  be  found  in  tlie  village.  This  most  ridiculous  resolve 
was  duly  carried  into  effect.  A  bonfire  was  kindled  on  the 
shore  directly  opposite  Queenstown,  and  all  the  "  Peter  Simples," 
"Jacob  Faithfuls,"  "Japhets,"  etc.,  which  could  be  found  were 
cast  in  the  flames ;  the  ofificiating  high-priest  at  the  altar  of 
popular  absurdity  pronouncing  aloud  the  title  of  each  as  it  was, 
immolated. 

Captain  Marryat,  I  dare  say,  made  a  fool  of  himself  (not  a 
very  difficult  task,  I  should  judge,  from  what  I  have  seen  of  him)  ; 
but  the  Lewistownians  have  beaten  him  "  all  to  smash,"  as  the 
Kentuckians  say.  How  mortified  he  must  have  been  to  hear  that 
his  books  had  been  burned  after  they  were  paid  for;  and  how 
sorry  the  booksellers,  that  their  praiseworthy  labours  to  enlighten 


iSjS.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  311 

the  American  people  should  be  so  ungratefully  requited,  and  so 
many  copies  of  their  publications  come  to  an  untimely  end  I 
What  a  grand  "  dare  up "  of  American  resentment  !  What  a 
glorious  ending  in  smoke  of  patriotic  indignation  !  They  ought 
to  have  passed  a  resolution  at  the  meeting  to  burn  all  articles  of 
British  production  or  manufacture,  especially  coals.  The  village 
newspaper,  in  its  virtuous  wrath,  announces  that  "  '  Midshipman 
Easy'  would  not  burn,  its  stupidity  rendering  it  fire-proof." 
"Wherry  sewere,"  as  Sam  Weller  says. 

De  artureof  ^^^^  7*  —  '^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^'^  ^  gala-day  in  New  York, 
the  "Great  The  British  steamer  "Great  Western,"  Captain  Hos- 
'\\estern.  j.jj^^  sailed  at  two  o'clock  from  Pier  No.  i,  North  river. 
All  the  city  went  to  behold  the  sight.  The  Battery  was  a  mass  of 
living  witnesses  to  this  event.  Castle  Garden  was  filled,  and  all 
the  adjacent  wharves  and  houses  were  thronged  with  spectators. 
\\'hen  the  steamer  started  she  was  accompanied  by  a  dozen  large 
steamboats  with  crowded  decks  and  ornamented  by  flags,  among 
which  the  loving  embraces  of  St.  George's  Cross  and  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  were  conspicuous  in  every  instance.  I  went  with  a  party  on 
board  of  the  "  Providence."  The  day  was  very  fine,  and  the  gal- 
lant fleet  presented  a  scene  in  the  bay  not  unlike  that  at  the  great 
Canal  celebration,  when  Dr.  Mitchell  mingled  the  waters  of  Lake 
Erie  with  those  of  the  ocean,  and  I  was  the  fugleman  to  nine 
cheers  so  loud  and  astounding  that  it  is  doubtful  if  the  highlands 
of  Neversink  have  to  this  day  recovered  from  the  trembling  which 
they  occasioned. 

Having  reached  the  bay  below  Staten  Island,  the  "  Great  West- 
ern "  stopped,  and  the  "  Providence  "  went  alongside  and  took  off 
a  large  party  of  gentlemen  who  went  down  in  her,  among  whom 
were  Governor  Marcy,  Mr.  Seward,  and  many  other  distinguished 
persons.  We  then  left  her  with  shouts  and  good  wishes  for  her 
safe  and  speedy  return  to  the  public-spirited  company  who  under- 
took this  enterprise,  and  sent  her  out  a  successful  pioneer.  She 
pursued  her  course  in  fine  style,  and  we  returned  to  the  city  and 


312  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  5S. 

got  home  to  a  late  dinner.  There  was  a  great  crowd  on  board  the 
"  Providence,"  in  which  were  many  ladies,  and  the  excursion  was 
quite  a  pleasant  one.  An  interesting  incident  occurred  whilst  we 
lay  alongside  of  the  "  Great  Western,"  in  the  bay.  The  ship 
"  Colon,"  from  Havana,  came  in  with  a  number  of  passengers,  with 
all  sails  set.  Sailing  beautifully  on  the  wind,  she  passed  through 
the  fleet  of  gay  steamboats,  cheered  the  "  Great  Western,"  went 
close  under  our  bows,  almost  touching  the  bowsprit,  and  passed 
triumphantly  rejoicing  on  her  way  to  the  renowned  city  of 
Gotham;  it  was  a  fine  offset  of  sails  and  rigging  against  steam 
and  paddles. 

May  8.  — Died  yesterday,  in  Philadelphia,  Thomas 

A  Type  of  -r,       1  r      i  ^         -„ 

Longevity.       Bradford,   successor   to  Dr.  Franklin,  and  the  oldest 
printer  and  editor  in  the  United  States.     He  was  in  the 
ninety-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

History  of  ^^^    12.  —The  history  of  the  reign  of  Ferdinand 

Ferdinand        and  Isabella,  the  Catholic,  by  William  H.  Prescott,  an 

and  Isabella.        a  •  x  i  ,  . 

American,  I  am  proud  to  say,  has  been  published  in 
three  volumes.  I  have  just  been  reading  it,  and  I  think  it  is  en- 
titled to  a  place  alongside  of  Hume,  Robertson,  and  Gibbon.  Great 
care  has  been  bestowed  upon  it,  and  no  modern  work  displays  more 
accurate  knowledge  or  laborious  investigation.  Irving  has  treated 
some  of  the  leading  subjects  of  this  history  in  the  "  Life  of  Colum- 
bus "  and  his  "Conquest  of  Granada,"  over  which  he  has  thrown 
the  charm  of  his  poetical  style ;  but  here  is  a  book,  rich  in  all  the 
lore  of  the  Spanish  archives,  diving  deep  into  authorities  with  which 
the  reading  world  has  been  heretofore  unacquainted,  and  making 
clear  the  dark  passages  of  that  interesting  period  of  European 
history,  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  and  the  commencement  of  the 
sixteenth  centuries. 

May  14.  —  The  Pennsylvania  Bank  of  the  United  States  has 
sent  on  ^20,000  to  Charleston  for  the  relief  of  the  suiferers  by  the 
fire.  This  is  a  monstrous  act  of  munificence,  and  proves  the  dan- 
ger of  such  an  institution  in  a  free  country.     Biddle  must  have 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  313 

some  horrid  design  in  this,  —  nothing  short  of  an  overthrow  of  the 
Government  and  destruction  of  the  Uberties  of  the  people. 

May   18.  —  Our   neighbouring  city  of  Philadelphia 
Riot  in  phiia-  ^^^^^  disgraced  yesterday  by  a  riot,  which  ended  in  the 

delphia.  °  ■'  "'       "' 

destruction  of  Pennsylvania  Hall,  a  place  of  meeting 
for  the  discussion  of  abolition  questions.  A  meeting  was  held  in 
the  forenoon,  and  speeches  were  made  which  exasperated  the  mob. 
Another  meeting  was  to  have  taken  place  in  the  evening,  but  it  was 
prevented  by  the  interference  of  the  ]\Iayor.  The  mob,  still  far- 
ther instigated,  it  is  said,  by  the  wanton  outrage  of  public  opinion 
in  the  exhibition  in  the  public  streets  of  white  men  and  women 
walking  arm  in  arm  with  blacks,  assembled  in  greater  numbers  in  the 
evening,  broke  into  the  hall,  destroyed  everything  they  could  find, 
and  set  fire  to  the  building,  which  was  entirely  destroyed  by  ten 
o'clock.  The  excitement  was  so  great  that  the  Mayor  and  other 
civil  officers  were  unable  to  prevent  the  outrage,  and  some  of  the 
number  (particularly  Mr.  Watmouth,  the  sheriff)  were  dangerously 
wounded.  A  large  proportion  of  the  abolitionists  assembled  in  the 
hall  were  females,  of  whom  several  harangued  the  meeting,  and 
were  foremost  in  arousing  the  excited  populace.  This  dreadful 
subject  gains  importance  every  day,  and  reflecting  men  see  in  it 
the  seeds  of  the  destruction  of  our  institutions. 

]\Iav  19.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us :  Governor 
I^Iason  of  IMichigan,  Mr.  Bullock  of  Kentucky,  Mr.  Charles  A. 
Davis,  Mr.  James  W.  Otis,  Mr.  Delprat,  Mr.  Abraham  Schermer- 
horn,  ]\rr.  Irv^ing  Van  Wart,  Dr.  McLean,  General  Fleming,  and 
Charles  A.  Heckscher. 

Ma.y  31.  —  The  fine  weather  this  afternoon  tempted  my  wife, 
my  daughter,  and  myself  to  go  to  Hoboken.  We  crossed  from 
Canal  street,  walked  to  the  Pavilion  in  "  Les  Champs  Elys6es  "  (a 
place  better  entitled  to  the  name  than  the  more  celebrated  one  near 
Paris),  and  returned  home  at  eight  o'clock.  It  is  many  years  since 
I  \dsited  this  beautiful  subu7-b  of  New  York,  which  has  been  greatly 
improved.     New  walks  have  been  laid  out,  the  grounds  beautifully 


314  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

arranged,  the  woods  cleared,  and  a  fair  chance  given  to  Nature  to 
show  off  her  charms  to  the  greatest  advantage. 

June  i  .  —  A  resolution  offered  by  IMr.  Webster  to 
Specie  Circular  j.gp^^j  the  specic  circular  passed  the  Senate  on  the 
28th  by  a  strong  vote  of  thirty- four  to  ten.  On  the 
question  of  engrossing  this  resolution  for  a  third  reading  the  ten  votes 
in  the  minority  were  given  by  the  following  Senators.  It  is  amusing 
to  see  in  what  company  Mr.  Calhoun,  the  great  southern  nullifier, 
has  placed  himself.  What  bedfellows  political  inconsistency  may 
bring  a  man  acquainted  with  !  Nays :  Messrs.  Allen,  Benton, 
Brown,  Calhoun,  Hubbard,  Linn,  Morris,  Niles,  Smith  of  Con- 
necticut, Strange.  Of  these,  five  may  be  called  Yankee  loco-foco 
loafers ;  viz.,  two  from  Connecticut,  one  from  New  Hampshire, 
and  two  from  Ohio,  the  latter  being  virtually  a  New  England 
State,  although  far  from  its  fatherland.  Now,  these  five  men  do 
no  more  speak  the  language  of  their  constituents  than  they  do 
that  of  truth,  honour,  and  patriotism,  and  here  is  Mr.  Calhoun 
amongst  them ;  the  proud,  tenacious,  high-minded  Carolinian, 
Mr.  Calhoun  !  Well,  as  he  likes  best,  so  be  it !  As  he  sows  so 
he    shall    reap. 

This  resolution  was  taken  up  in  the  House  of  Representatives  on 
Wednesday,  and  carried  through,  without  debate,  in  less  than  no 
time.  The  vote  on  the  question  "  Shall  the  joint  resolution  from  the 
Senate,  repealing  the  treasury  circular,  pass  ?  "  was  carried  by  the 
astonishing,  unexpected  vote  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  to  twenty- 
nine,  and  the  resolution  sent  back  to  the  Senate  in  half  an  hour 
after  the  House  was  called  to  order.  In  the  virtuous  minority,  our 
two  hopeful  city  representatives,  Cambreling  and  Moore,  are  to  be 
found,  of  course  ;  but  as  far  as  I  can  judge  from  running  my  eye  over 
the  Ayes  and  Nays  in  the  newspaper,  very  few  other  members  from 
our  State  were  willing  to  be  seen  in  such  bad  and  unfashionable 
company.  This  great  event,  together  with  Mr.  Biddle's  letter  to 
Mr.  Adams,  written  in  consequence  of  it,  have  infused  a  joyful 
spirit   of  confidence   amongst   our  New  York  folk.     Verily,  Wall 


1S38.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  315 

street  rejoiceth  !  Stocks  have  risen  and  domestic  exchanges  fallen, 
and  it  would  seem  that  the  touch  of  Webster  (as  he  said  on  a  cer- 
tain occasion  of  that  of  Alexander  Hamilton)  has  caused  the  corpse 
of  public  credit  to  rise  on  its  feet  and  stand  erect. 

June  8. —  Immediately  after  the  passage  of  Mr.  Webster's  reso- 
lution rescinding  the  specie  circular,  business  revived.  Confidence 
was  restored  to  financial  operations,  and  hopes  were  entertained  of 
better  times ;  but  a  blight  has  come  upon  our  bright  prospects. 
The  evil  influence  of  the  administration,  which  seems  determined 
to  oppose  the  wishes  of  the  people,  has  again  been  at  work.  Mr. 
Woodbury  has  issued  a  circular,  misconstruing  the  intentions  of 
Congress,  and  prohibiting  the  receiving  of  the  notes  of  all  banks 
who  have  since  some  day  in  1836  issued  small  bills,  thereby  "  visit- 
ing the  sins  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children."  This  ungracious 
measure  of  the  administration,  together  with  the  tardiness  of  the 
banks  of  Philadelphia  in  declaring  their  intentions  to  resume  specie 
payments,  has  thrown  all  things  back  again.  Stocks  in  New  York 
have  fallen  more  than  five  per  cent.,  and  foreign  and  domestic  ex- 
changes have  risen.  The  administration  and  the  party  which  sup- 
ports them  seem  determined  to  "  die  with  harness  on  their  backs." 
If  they  go  out  of  office  they  will  leave  a  ruined  and  bankrupt 
country  to  their  successors. 

June  14.  —  It  has  been  often  said  that  a  man  must 
luXs'  ^  ^  ^  ^^^^  great  luck  to  get  himself  hanged  in  this  country. 
It  is  certainly  a  melancholy  proof  of  the  depravity  of 
our  morals,  that  the  most  flagrant  offences  against  the  laws,  and  the 
most  atrocious  violations  of  the  peace  and  good  order  of  society, 
go  daily  "  unwhipped  of  Justice,"  by  the  misjudging  lenity,  if  not 
the  base  corruption,  of  men  elected  to  preserve,  as  jurors,  the 
purity  of  our  legal  institutions.  Two  cases  have  lately  occurred, 
not  by  any  means  calculated  to  make  us  proud  of  the  name  of 
Americans. 

Some  time  last  winter  a  personal  dispute  occurred,  during  the 
session  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of  Arkansas, 


3l6  THE   DIARY   OF    TIIILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  58. 

between  a  Mr.  \\'ilson,  the  Speaker  then  presiding,  and  Major 
Anthony,  a  member,  in  the  course  of  which  the  former  came  down 
from  his  chair,  drew  a  large  knife  (a  weapon  which  it  appears 
these  modern  barbarians  carry  about  their  persons),  attacked  his 
adversary  and  killed  him  on  the  spot.  Anthony  endeavoured 
to  defend  himself  (he  had  also  his  knife)  ;  but  the  move- 
ment of  the  honourable  Speaker  was  so  sudden  as  to  render  his 
efforts  ineffectual,  and  I  suppose  it  was  "  out  of  order  "  for  other 
members  to  interfere  in  the  parliamentary  discipline  of  their 
presiding    officer. 

Wilson  has  been  tried  for  this  flagrant  outrage.  There  is  a  full 
account  of  the  trial  in  the  newspapers,  taken  from  the  Arkansas 
"  Gazette."  From  the  testimony  jt  does  not  appear  that  any  violent 
provocation  was  offered  by  the  deceased,  and  the  facts  above- 
stated  were  substantially  proved,  notwithstanding  which  the  verdict 
of  the  jury  was  as  follows  :  "  Guilty  of  excusable  homicide,  and 
not  guilty  in  any  manner  or  form  as  charged  in  the  indictment;" 
and  the  prisoner  was  discharged  from  custody.  Further  accounts 
state  that  immediately  after  this  mockery  of  justice,  the  jurors, 
with  the  sheriffs  and  witnesses,  had  a  grand  drinking  frolic  at  the 
expense  of  the  defendant. 

The  other  case  has  just  occurred  in  our  own  Court  of  Sessions. 
During  the  last  election  for  Ma3'or  and  Corporation,  an  affidavit 
was  distributed  at  all  the  polls,  made  by  a  rascally  Irishman,  named 
Edmund  Burke,  in  which  our  respectable  Mayor,  Mr.  Aaron  Clark, 
was  charged  with  having  offered  a  bribe  of  a  quarter's  rent  to 
Burke,  who  was  his  tenant,  if  he  would  vote  for  him  and  the  rest 
of  the  Whig  ticket.  This  fellow  was  instigated  to  commit  the  per- 
jury by  James  Thea  and  other  worthy  supporters  of  the  Van  Buren 
party,  who  carried  him  to  the  magistrate  to  take  his  deposition, 
paid  the  expenses,  had  the  hand-bills  printed,  and  let  the  poison 
work  its  way  into  the  public  mind,  well  knowing  that  the  antidote 
would  come  too  late,  and  knowing  also  that  there  was  not  the 
shadow  of  truth  in  the  charge.     Mr.  Clark  had  never  seen  the 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   IIOXE.  317 

man  in  his  life,  owned  no  such  house,  and  the  whole  storj'  turned 
out  (as  might  well  be  supposed)  an  infamous  falsehood.  Burke 
was  tried  for  the  perjury.  His  worthy  friends  and  coadjutors  ad- 
vised him  to  plead  insanity  and  drunkenness,  which  plea  found 
favour  in  the  eyes  of  the  jury,  and  he  was  acquitted,  to  be  used  again, 
when  occasion  shall  require  him,  to  blacken  the  character  of  some 
other  virtuous  citizen,  and  promote  the  success  of  the  party  which 
ISIr.  Van  Buren  calls  his  own. 

June  15.  —  A  great  curiosity  is  to  be  seen  on  the 
stuyvesanfs     ^j^.^j  avenue,  at  the  corner  of  13th  street.     A  fine, 

Pear-tree.  '  -^  ' 

healthy,  patriarchal  pear-tree,  which  annually  bears 
leaves  and  blossoms,  and  would  produce  fruit  if  boys  would  let  it. 
This  tree,  which,  by  the  regulation  of  the  avenue  and  streets,  is 
now  at  the  corner  close  to  the  curb-stone,  and  has  been  recently 
protected  by  a  substantial  wooden  railing,  was  formerly  one  of  the 
trees  in  the  orchard  of  Governor  Stuyvesant,  a  great  distance  from 
New  York,  but  now  in  the  midst  of  a  large  city  population.  Tradi- 
tion has  been  ransacked  for  its  history,  which  forms  a  part  of  our 
city  statistics.  Grave  essays  have  been  written  upon  its  longevity, 
and  poetry  has  sung  its  praises.  This  tree  was  the  subject  of  con- 
versation at  Mr.  Stuyvesant's  table  to-day.  There  is  no  doubt  of 
the  fact,  I  beheve,  which  I  now  record,  that  it  was  brought  out 
from  Holland  by  Governor  Stuyvesant,  and  planted  with  his  own 
hands  on  the  spot  where  it  now  stands.  Governor  Stuyvesant  came 
to  New  York  in  the  month  of  May,  1647  ;  the  pear-tree  is,  there- 
fore, one  hundred  and  ninety-one  years  old. 

June  21. — The  heart  sickens,  and  the  pen  folters,  in 
steamboat        recording  the    dreadful   disasters  which  occur  almost 

Disasters. 

daily  in  the  steamboat  navigation  of  the  United  States. 
I  fear  it  will  soon  become  doubtful  whether  Fulton's  great  invention 
will  not  prove  a  curse,  rather  than  a  blessing,  to  mankind.  It  cer- 
tainly will,  or  the  use  of  steam  in  navigation  be  discontinued, 
unless  measures  are  adopted  to  punish  negligence  and  temerity, 
and  to  insure  safety  by  using  necessary  precautions. 


3l8  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.58. 

June  22. — The  unworthy  representative  of  New 
Sub-Trensury  york  in  Congress,  Mr.  Cambreling,  brought  forward 
the  sub-treasury  bill  on  Tuesday  last,  in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  where  it  has  been  debated  ever  since,  many  con- 
jectures having  been  formed  about  its  fate,  and  calculations  made 
of  the  state  of  the  vote  on  the  passage  of  this  obnoxious  bill.  It 
will  be  exceedingly  close ;  not  more  than  two  or  three  majority 
either  way.  I  confess  I  have  great  fears  of  the  result.  The  Gov- 
ernment is  reckless  of  consequences  ;  determined  to  support  them- 
seh^es  by  the  power  which  this  measure  will  give  them,  they  put  all 
the  screws  upon  their  political  partisans,  and  hold  out  every  sort 
of  corrupt  inducement  to  those  who  may  have  had  occasional 
qualms  of  honesty  or  patriotism.  My  fears  are  excited  in  propor- 
tion to  the  extent  of  the  evil  which  I  apprehended  from  the  passage 
of  the  bill,  and  my  want  of  faith  in  the  ability  of  some  half-way 
Whigs  or  Conservatives  to  resist  the  bribes  which  a  corrupt  admin- 
istration will  not  hesitate  to  offer.  If  these  things  continue,  and 
the  people  do  not  arise  in  their  might  to  rebuke  them,  the  republic 
is  at  an  end. 

June  27.  —  This  odious  measure  of  a  corrupt  administration  was 
rejected  on  Monday  last  by  a  majority  oi  fourteen.  Every  new 
attempt  to  increase  the  President's  power,  and  to  counteract  the 
will  of  the  people,  is  frustrated  by  their  representatives  with  in- 
creased majorities.  The  administration  is  on  its  back.  I\Iay  it 
never  rise  again  ! 

July  12. — The  members  of  Congress  from  East  and  North  have 
arrived  in  town,  glad  to  be  released  from  the  servitude  of  public 
duty  in  this  scorching  weather.  They  have  been  in  session  ten 
months,  with  the  exception  only  of  the  few  weeks  intervening 
between  the  close  of  the  extra  session  and  the  opening  of  the  reg- 
ular one.  I  called  upon  Mr.  Webster  this  morning.  He  appears 
much  fagged  with  hard  work,  and  pants  for  relaxation  and  sea-air 
at  one  of  his  favorite  resorts  on  the  shore  of  his  own  State ;  and 
well  is  he  entitled  to  that  or  any  other  comfort,  for  well  has  he 


1838.]  THE    DIARY   OF   nilLIP    IIOXE.  319 

wrought  in  the  cause  of  the  people,  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  that 
noble  band,  who,  although  wanting  in  the  power  to  do  much  good, 
have  succeeded  in  preventing  much  evil.  I  saw,  also,  our  worthy 
representative,  Edward  Curtis,  who  shows  the  marks  of  a  long  and 
distressing  illness,  with  which  he  was  afflicted  at  Washington,  during 
which  he,  also,  suffering  as  he  was  with  the  pains  of  inflammatory 
rheumatism,  was  compelled  to  keep  his  seat  in  the  House  when  the 
vote  of  every  honest  man  was  indispensable  to  counteract  the  mis- 
chievous designs  of  the  administration  party.  Honour  and  praise 
to  the  noble  Whigs  and  Conservatives  !  They  have  saved  the 
country, 

RocKAWAv,  Aug.  10.  —  We  had  a  very  pleasant  ball 
rs  anny  ^j^.  ,g,^j,  j  j^^j  ^^  interesting  conversation  with 
Mrs.  Butler,  late  Miss  Fanny  Kemble,  who  is  here  with 
her  husband  and  two  little  daughters.  This  lady,  whom  I  greatly 
admired  when  she  arrived  in  this  country  with  her  distinguished 
father,  Charles  Kemble,  has  seldom  visited  New  York  since  the 
publication  of  her  journal,  in  which  she  took  some  foolish  hbcrtics 
with  me  and  my  family  and  others  of  whose  hospitality  she  had 
partaken.  I  was  never  seriously  offended  at  what  she  said  in  this 
book,  but  viewed  it  "  more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger ;  "  for  I  thought 
it  a  pity  that  a  woman  so  brilliant,  who  was  capable  of  better  things, 
should  have  compromised  her  literary  reputation  by  giving  to  the 
world  her  inconsiderate,  girlish  remarks  upon  the  daily  events 
which  amused  her  lively  and  excitable  imagination,  when  I  knew 
her  talents  were  worthy  of  better  employment.  This,  then,  was  the 
first  time  we  had  met,  and  she  felt  doubtful  of  what  I  might  con- 
sider our  relative  positions.  As  soon  as  she  entered  the  room  I 
seated  myself  at  her  side,  told  her  I  was  happy  to  renew  an  ac- 
quaintance, the  recollection  of  which  had  always  given  me  great 
pleasure,  and  danced  with  her.  In  the  course  of  our  conversation 
she  said  to  me,  with  great  earnestness  and  solemnity,  and  much  agi- 
tated, "  Mr.  Hone,  I  cannot  express  to  you  how  happy  you  have  made 
me  by  the  notice  you  have  taken  of  me  on  this  occasion.     Believe 


320  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.58. 

me,  I  am  extremely  grateful."  I,  of  course,  turned  it  off  as  well  as  I 
could,  observing  that  she  had  no  reason  to  be  grateful ;  my  motive 
was  selfish,  as  I  sought  my  own  gratification  in  renewing  an  acquaint- 
ance so  congenial  to  my  feelings,  etc.  During  this  conversation  the 
tear  which  stood  in  her  flashing,  expressive  eye  convinced  me  that 
this  highly  gifted  woman,  with  all  the  waywardness  of  thought  and 
independence  of  action  which  the  circumstances  of  her  early  intro- 
duction into  life  had  ingrafted  upon  her  natural  disposition,  possesses 
that  warmth  of  heart  which  I  thought  I  had  formerly  the  sagacity  to 
discover,  and  for  which  I  have  never  failed  to  give  her  credit. 

September  4.  —  Granger  is  in  town.  I  called  to  see  him  this 
morning,  at  the  Astor  House.  I  told  him  that  I  thought  the 
selection  made  at  the  Broadway  House,  on  Friday  evening,  of 
delegates  to  the  Convention  unfavourable  to  his  chance  of  being 
nominated  Governor,  for  I  consider  them  Seward  men.  He  seems 
to  think,  notwithstanding,  that  he  has  more  strength  at  the  West 
than  Seward.  This  question  must  not  be  suffered  to  create  a 
schism  in  the  Whig  party.  We  have  higher  principles  of  action 
than  any  personal  preferences  between  the  friends  of  Mr.  Granger 
and  Mr.  Seward. 

September  10.  — The  two  curses  of  our  country,  or  rather  two  of 
the  curses,  —  for  General  Jackson's  administration  of  the  Govern- 
ment entailed  enough  of  them  upon  us,  —  are  the  fanaticism  of  the 
abolitionists  of  the  North,  and  the  violence  of  the  nullifiers  of  the 
South.  A  late  transaction  which  has  taken  place  in  this  city 
inculpates  some  of  the  former  gentry  most  fearfully,  and  I  should 
not  wonder  if  they  are  sent  to  carry  out  their  doctrines  of  emanci- 
pation within  the  walls  of  the  Penitentiary. 

The  facts  are  these  :  A  negro  boy,  the  slave  of  a  Mr.  Darg,  a 
Southern  gentleman,  who  was  here  on  a  visit,  robbed  his  master 
of  $7,000  and  absconded  ;  was  harboured  by  a  fellow  called  Ruggles 
and  others,  his  philanthropic  associates,  into  whose  hands  the 
money  got  by  some  means ;  and  a  Mr.  Barney  Corse,  a  man  of 
some  standing,  one  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  was  employed  as 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILir    HONE.  32I 

plenipotentiary  to  negotiate  a  peace  with  the  master,  the  condi- 
tions of  which  were,  that  on  the  payment  of  $1,000,  which  he 
had  offered  as  reward,  and  tlie  manumission  of  the  slave,  with  a 
pledge  not  to  prosecute  him  for  the  robbery,  the  remainder  of  the 
money  should  be  restored.  This  he  agreed  to,  and  received  the 
principal  part  of  the  money.  But  the  police,  having  received  infor- 
mation of  the  transaction,  interfered  with  the  high  contracting  par- 
ties, and  annulled  the  treaty.  Mr.  Corse  and  Ruggles  were  arrested, 
and  I  cannot  very  well  see  how  they  are  to  avoid  the  penalty  of  a 
pretty  serious  crime  into  which  their  officious  interference  has 
involved  them.  It  is  not  pretended  that  Mr.  Corse,  at  any  rate, 
was  concerned  as  instigator  or  party  to  the  robbery;  but  their 
subsequent  conduct  will  bring  them  in  as  accessories  after  the  f:ict, 
and  the  excitement  of  the  public  mind  on  the  subject  of  abolition 
and  everything  that  relates  to  the  blacks  is  so  great,  that  these 
men  will  have  little  chance  to  escape  the  penalty  of  the  law. 

September  14.  —  The  Whig  Convention  assembled  at  Utica,  on 
Wednesday,  in  the  court-house.  William  H.  Seward  was  nomi- 
nated Governor,  and  Luther  Bradish  Lieutenant-Governor.  These 
are  excellent  nominations,  and  will  be  supported  with  unanimity  by 
the  Whig  party.  Mr.  Seward  is  a  man  of  superior  talents,  unwav- 
ering principles,  and  popular  manners.  Consulting  my  personal 
predilections  I  might,  perhaps,  have  preferred  my  old  friend,  Mr. 
Granger,  who,  having  stood  the  brunt  when  there  was  little  hope 
of  success,  seems  to  have  had  the  strongest  claim  upon  the  party 
now,  when  the  chance  of  success  is  so  much  better.  But  the 
canvass  shows  the  undiminished  confidence  of  his  friends.  He 
wanted  but  three  votes  on  the  third  ballot  of  being  the  nominee, 
and  on  that  ballot  there  were  five  scattering  votes.  As  for  Luther 
Bradish,  no  man  in  the  State  of  New  York  is  better  qualified  for 
any  office  to  which  the  people  may  call  him. 

Septemcer  21. —  Died  this  day,  Mr.  Jacob  Lorillard,  in  the 
sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  —  a  benevolent  man  and  a  good 
citizen ;    intelligent  and   active    in  all  the  social  relations  of  life. 


322  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

and  scrupulously  just  in  all  his  concerns.  He  retired  from  his 
business  (that  of  tanner  and  currier)  a  few  years  since,  having 
amassed  a  very  large  fortune,  of  which  he  made  a  good  use. 
Mr.  Lorillard  and  I  were  associated  together  in  the  German 
Society,  in  the  Presidency  of  which  he  was  my  immediate  suc- 
cessor, and  no  person  in  the  city  possessed  more  influence  with 
the  German  population.  I  deeply  lament  the  death  of  this 
excellent  man. 

September    29, — The   ex-king    Joseph   Bonaparte, 
Josep  arrived  here  with  a  numerous   suite  on   Saturday,  in 

Bonaparte.  ■' ' 

the  packet-ship  "  Philadelphia,"  from  London.  He 
left  the  United  States  four  or  five  years  since,  as  was  supposed, 
to  take  advantage  of  some  political  movements  which  seemed 
to  indicate  the  chance  of  a  restoration  of  the  House  of  Bonaparte ; 
but  he  has  returned,  and,  I  trust,  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
days  quietly  in  this  best  of  all  Yankee  republics.  He  is  a  gentle- 
manly, orderly  man,  and  has  contrived  to  save  out  of  the  two 
crowns  which  he  has  worn  jewels  enough  to  make  himself 
comfortable  and  to  benefit  his  neighbors.  As  for  his  chance  to 
reign  in  France,  it  is  "  no  go."  If  the  French  get  rid  of  their 
excellent  monarch,  and  overthrow  the  present  order  of  things, 
they  will  have  something  better  or  worse  than  the  "  House  of 
Bonaparte  "  to  rule  them.  The  whole  sap  of  the  family  tree  ran 
into  one  branch ;  the  rest  has  not  fire  enough  to  kindle  a  new 
conflagration,  or  strength  enough  to  put  it  out  if  it  should  be 
kindled  by  others. 

October   3.  —  The    elections   in  the  several  States 
Elections.        which   are  to  settle   the   important  question   between 

the  present  administration  and  the  people  are  now 
commencing.  The  interest  taken  in  these  elections  is  unprece- 
dented, as  well  for  their  own  importance  as  for  the  influence 
which  their  results  will  have  upon  the  great  crowning  contest, 
which  we  are  to  have  in  November. 

October    13. — The    Whigs,    ever    sanguine,    bad    politicians 


1S3S.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  323 

certainly,  discouraged  by  unfavourable  reports,  and  elated  by  the 
news  of  success,  made  up  hastily  from  unreliable  estimates, 
have  experienced  several  severe  disappointments  of  late.  Penn- 
sylvania has  gone  against  us.  Porter,  the  loco-foco  candidate 
for  Governor,  has  beaten  Rittner  by  five  thousand  majority  at 
least ;  Ohio,  which  we  thought  our  own,  is,  I  fear,  all  wrong ; 
but  the  strangest  thing  of  all  is  our  next-door  neighbour.  New 
Jersey.  The  election  was  held  on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  last. 
^^'e  had  it  all :  six  members  of  Congress  by  general  ticket,  and 
the  Legislature  by  great  majorities ;  but  yesterday  the  tables 
began  to  change,  our  majorities  were  reduced  and  those  of  the 
Van  Burenites  increased.  Our  air-built  castles  began  to  totter ; 
every  fresh  account  was  less  favourable.  The  Whig  majorities, 
like  Paddy's  candle  placed  before  the  fire  to  dry,  became  smaller 
and  smaller;  the  Tories  began  to  bet,  and  now  our  hopes  are 
reduced  so  low  that  the  most  we  claim  is  fifty  to  one  hundred 
on  the  canvass  of  the  whole  State,  and  it  seems  probable  that  we 
may  not  get  more  than  one  or  two  Congressmen  out  of  the 
whole  ticket.  Nothing  is  left  for  the  good  cause  but  a  great 
victory  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  already  the  despondency 
which  succeeds  disappointment  has  taken  hold  of  our  friends ; 
we  must  fight. 

Here  the  issue  is  to  be  tried.  I  cannot  think  that  the  great 
work  which  was  so  auspiciously  commenced  last  fall  is  now  to  be 
o'^erthrown.  The  cause  of  the  constitution  and  the  laws,  the 
preservation  of  our  precious  institutions,  are  in  the  hands  of  the 
Whigs  of  New  York,  and  there  appears  to  be  zeal  and  spirit  in 
our  ranks  worthy  of  such  a  cause,  and  of  a  motive  of  action  so 
exciting. 

October  15.  —  The  Van  Buren  men   have  agreed 

Con"ress°men    ^^P°^  ^   tickct  for  Congrcss.     Loco-foco  to  the   hub  : 

Cambreling,    Eli    Moore,   John   McKeon,  and    Edwin 

Forrest.     The  latter  is  the  celebrated  tragedian,  with  no   claim, 

that  I  have  ever  heard  of,  to  the  honour  of  representing  the  people 


324  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  l_.Etat.5S. 

of  New  York  in  Congress,  but  that  of  exciting,  by  dint  of  loud 
words  and  furious  stamps,  the  pit  of  the  Bowery  Theatre  to 
raise  their  shirt-sleeves  high  in  the  air  and  shout  Hurrah  for 
Forrest !  He  may  be  a  leader  of  the  Pitt  party,  but  no  statesman. 
True  it  is  that  these  men  may  "  steal  a  horse  when  we  cannot 
look  over  the  hedge."  I  remember  well  how  I  was  berated  by 
some  of  my  political  friends,  when,  as  Mayor,  I  assisted  in  the 
ceremony  of  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  Bowery  Theatre, 
and  made  a  speech  on  the  occasion.  No  act  of  my  public  life 
lost  me  so  many  friends,  and  here  we  have  a  regular-built  actor 
presented  to  the  people  for  their  suffrages ;  and  he  will  probably 
(if  he  should  consent  to  serve)  receive  the  greatest  number  of 
votes  on  their  ticket.  The  Pittites  will,  of  course,  shout  most 
obstreperously  for  him,  but  the  better  sort  of  men,  the  gentlemen 
(the  few  that  belong  to  the  party),  the  moral  men,  as  well  as  the 
Five-point  politicians  and  disciples  of  Fanny  Wright,  will  vote 
for  Forrest  and  Eli  Moore,  without  the  slightest  compunction ; 
and  why?  Because  they  are  spell-bound,  and  conscience-shack- 
led  by   those  powerful   cabalistic  words,   regular  nominee. 

October   iS.  —  I  attended   this  evening  a  meeting 
MeeUn  °^  leading,  influential  gentlemen  of  the  Whig  party,  at 

the  Astor  House.  There  were  sixty  or  eighty  present. 
I  was  appointed  chairman,  and  R.  M.  Blatchford,  secretary.  The 
object  of  this  meeting  was  to  confer  with  several  of  our  friends 
from  different  parts  of  the  State  on  the  prospects  for  the  important 
approaching  election.  Thurlow  Weed  and  Mr.  Benedict,  of  Albany, 
were  with  us,  and  our  candidate  for  Governor,  Mr.  Seward.  The 
accounts  were  cheering,  and  a  noble  spirit  pervaded  the  meeting, 
undismayed  by  recent  disasters  in  other  States.  It  was  represented 
that  a  sum  of  about  $5,000  was  required,  to  be  distributed  in  five 
or  six  of  the  counties.  Subscriptions  were  taken  on  the  spot,  and 
$3,400  subscribed  down,  and  about  the  same  sum  in  addition,  con- 
ditioned upon  the  success  of  the  Whigs  in  the  city  elections ;  in  ad- 
dition to  which  a  committee  of  seven,  including  the  chairman  and 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  325 

secretary,  were  appointed  to  raise  further  contributions.  This  is  an 
irksome  duty  for  me  to  perform,  but,  situated  as  I  was,  I  could  not 
shrink  from  it.  The  committee  consists  of  David  B.  Ogden,  J.  P. 
Phoenix,  Simeon  Draper,  Jr.,  Thomas  Tileston,  Jonathan  Amory, 
Blatchford,  and  myself.  ^ 

October  19,  —  The  Committee  on  Collections  met  this  morning, 
and  divided  into  separate  committees  of  two.  David  B.  Ogden 
and  I  sallied  out  in  a  pelting  rain,  in  which  we  paddled  about  for 
upwards  of  three  hours.  We  called  upon  several  of  our  rich  citi- 
zens, some  of  whom  gave  liberally,  and  others,  having  no  regard 
for  their  own  characters,  or  sympathy  for  our  ducked  condition,  re- 
fused to  give ;  but  we  have  done  our  duty,  disagreeable  as  it  was. 
We  shall  get  $5,000,  but  there  is  more  required  for  the  expenses  of 
the  city  election. 

October  20. — The  following  gentlemen  (a  pleasant,  jovial  set) 
dined  with  us  :  Colonel  Hunter,  Mr.  John  Henry,  and  Mr.  Moly- 
neux  of  Savannah,  Mr.  Power,  Mr.  Nicholson,  Governor  Mason 
of  Michigan,  Mr.  Charles  Heckscher,  Mr.  Edward  Heckscher,  Mr. 
Thomas  Moore,  and  J.  D.  P.  Ogden. 

October  22.  —  Ten  gentlemen  met  and  dined  to-day 
theHoneCiub  ^^  ^^^'  J°^^  Ward's,  Boud  street,  being  the  first  meeting 
of  a  club  which  was  there  organized  to  dine  at  each 
other's  houses  every  Monday,  at  five  o'clock  punctually.  The  pre- 
sent members  are,  Simeon  Draper,  John  Ward,  Moses  H.  Grinnell, 
William  G.  Ward,  John  Crumby,  Roswell  L.  Colt,  Edward  R.  Biddle, 
Jonathan  Prescott  Hall,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  and  Philip  Hone. 

It  was  agreed  to  extend  the  number  to  twelve  by  the  admission 
of  Charles  H.  Russell  and  James  W.  Otis,  to  which  number  the 
club  is  limited.  A  sumptuary  law  was  enacted,  confining  the  dinner 
to  soup,  fish,  oysters,  and  four  dishes  of  meat,  with  a  dessert  of 
fruit,  ice- cream,  and  jelly.  The  host  is  allowed  to  invite  four  gen- 
tlemen, not  members  of  the  club.  The  members  did  me  the 
honour  to  name  the  club  "  The  Hone  Club,"  and  I  was  appointed 
the  President. 


326  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

October  26.  —  This  new  enemy  to  the  peace  of 
Abolition.  mankind,  which  I  fear  is  destined  to  overthrow  the  in- 
stitutions of  our  country,  has  of  late  raised  its  head 
proudly  in  this  State.  The  candidates  nominated  for  ofifice  at  the 
..approaching  election,  from  Governor  downward,  have  been  ad- 
dressed in  circular  letters  by  committees  of  the  abolitionists,  pro- 
posing in  rather  a  peremptory  style  certain  questions  regarding 
slavery  and  the  political  disqualifications  of  the  free  blacks.  Such 
of  these  missives  as  were  addressed  to  the  candidates  for  Governor 
and  Lieutenant-Governor  are  signed  by  William  Jay  and  Garrett 
Smith.  Messrs.  Seward  and  Bradish  have  replied  at  length.  Their 
letters  are  published.  That  of  the  former  is  exceedingly  well 
written,  somewhat  evasive,  and  not  by  any  means  satisfactory  to 
his  inquisitors.  Mr.  Bradish  is  much  more  conclusive.  He  comes 
out  boldly  and  answers  all  the  questions  in  the  affirmative.  This 
does  not  by  any  means  prove  him  to  be  an  abolitionist,  but  will  be 
so  construed  by  that  party,  and  will  do  him  great  injury  with  the 
Whigs  in  this  part  of  the  State.  I  regret  it  exceedingly,  because  I 
think  this  gratuitous  committal  was  unnecessary ;  nor  do  I  allow  the 
right  of  a  set  of  men,  standing  upon  their  own  ground,  and  having 
views  and  motives  abstracted  from  the  great  leading  principles  of 
political  faith,  to  propound  questions  of  this  nature  to  the  persons 
set  up  for  the  suffrages  of  the  people,  and  make  their  favourable 
response  the  condition  of  their  support.  Such  a  course  of  inquisi- 
torial scrutiny  into  men's  consciences,  if  persevered  in,  will  have 
the  effect  to  destroy  that  lofty  independence  and  integrity  of  mind 
which  should  characterize  the  representatives  of  the  people,  palsy 
the  executive  arm,  and  sully  the  purity  of  the  judiciary.  Already 
have  I  heard  the  most  opprobrious  epithets  applied  to  my  excellent 
friend  Bradish.  I  know  not  whether  the  votes  he  loses  here  may 
not  be  overbalanced  in  the  West,  where  the  great  strength  of  the 
abolitionists  lies ;  but  I  regret  that  a  man  so  upright  and  intelligent 
should  expose  himself  to  the  reproaches  of  any  portion  of  his  politi- 
cal friends,  by  a  supererogatory  declaration  of  opinions  which  I 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   HIILIP   HONE.  327 

maintain  no  set  of  men  had  a  right  to  call  for.  The  same  system 
is  in  operation  here.  On  the  announcement  of  my  name  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  Assembly  the  following  letter  was  sent  to  me.  I 
copy  it  at  length,  because  I  consider  it  to  be  the  root  of  a  noxious 
plant,  which  in  its  growth  will  overshadow  the  land,  corrupt  the  soil 
of  repubUcan  America,  and  produce  the  fruits  of  anarchy  and  dis- 
union :  — 

New  York,  Oct.  26,  1S38. 
Philip  Hone,  Esq^  :  — 

Sir,  —  We  notice  that  you  are  nominated  to  represent  this  county  in  the 
Assembly  of  this  State.  As  citizens  and  legal  voters  of  this  city,  the  un- 
dersigned, in  behalf  of  themselves  and  others,  beg  leave  to  propound  the 
following  questions  :  — 

Are  you  in  favour  of  the  immediate  repeal  of  such  laws  of  this  State  as 
permit  slaveholders  to  introduce  slaves,  and  hold  them  here  as  such? 
Are  you  in  favour  of  enacting  a  law  which  shall  secure  a  trial  by  jury  to 
every  person  claimed  in  this  State  as  a  slave.''  Are  you  in  favour  of  so 
amending  the  constitution  of  this  State  that  civil  rights  shall  not  be 
granted  or  withheld  according  to  complexion.?  Are  you  in  favour  of  the 
passage  (by  the  Legislature)  of  resolutions  declaring  the  power  and  duty 
of  Congress  immediately  to  abolish  slavery  and  the  slave-trade  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  to  prohibit  immediately  the  inter-state  slave- 
trade;  and,  also,  resolutions  protesting  against  the  annexation  of  Texas, 
or  the  admission  to  the  Union  of  any  State  whose  constitution  tolerates 
slavery?  An  early  answer  to  the  foregoing  questions  is  respectfully 
requested,  and  should  you  neglect  to  reply  it  will  be  considered  equiva- 
lent to  a  negative  answer. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servants, 
A.  LiBOLT,  Chairina7i.  L.  W.  Gilbert, 

Anthony  Lane,  S.  W.  Benedict, 

E.  A.  Lambert,  J.  H.  Colton, 

Thomas  Ritter,  Lewis  Tappan, 

A.  O.  Willcox,  .Thom.\s  F.  Field, 

W.  S.  Dorr,  Hiram  Tupper, 

M.  R.  Berry,  John  Jay, 

Thomas  O.  Buckmaster,  P.  B.  Smith, 

C.  S.  Delavan,  Addison  A.  Jayne, 

Adratls  Doolittle,  John  W.  Hill. 

Asa  Parker, 


328  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

To  this  letter  I  returned  the  following  brief  reply.  I  wish  with 
all  my  heart  that  the  answers  of  Seward  and  Bradish  had  been 
equally  brief.  "  The  least  said,"  particularly  in  black  and  white, 
"  the  soonest  mended." 

October  26,  1838. 

Gentlemen:  —  I  have  received  your  letter  of  this  day,  propounding 
several  questions  to  me  as  a  candidate  to  represent  this  city  in  the 
Assembly  of  the  State.  I  am  relieved  from  the  obligation  of  answering 
these  questions  (if  such  obligation  exists  on  the  part  of  a  candidate 
toward  a  portion  of  his  fellow-citizens),  by  the  circumstance  of  my  not 
having  accepted  the  nomination  with  which  I  was  honoured  by  my 
political  friends.     I  am,  etc.,  P.  H. 

Messrs.  A.  Libolt,  etc.,  etc. 

October  29.  —  The  meeting  was  held  this  evening 
MeeUn  ^^  Masonic  Hall  to  receive  the  report  of  the  nominat- 

ing committee.  The  house  was  full  as  usual,  up-stairs 
and  down-stairs  and  round  about.  That  excellent  old-fashioned 
federal  Whig,  David  B.  Ogden,  presided,  with  twenty  vice-presi- 
dents and  four  secretaries.  It  is  refreshing  once  in  a  while  to  see 
a  relic  of  honest  political  principles,  like  David  B.  Ogden,  allowed 
to  take  a  prominent  place  in  public  affairs.  It  is  almost  the  only 
thing  of  the  kind  I  have  seen  in  relation  to  the  coming  election. 
I  cannot  recognize  the  name  on  either  ticket  of  a  leading 
Federalist  or  National  Republican,  —  they  are  permitted  to  work 
and  pay  money ;  they  must  bake  the  loaves  and  catch  the  fishes, 
but  they  get  precious  few  of  them  for  themselves.  Every  man  on 
the  Congress  ticket  was  in  full  communion  at  Tammany  Hall  five 
years  ago.  They  are  generally  good  men.  A  better  fellow  is  not 
to  be  found,  nor  a  more  efficient  Whig,  than  Moses  H.  Grinnell ; 
yet  some  of  us  who  have  borne  "the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day" 
are  entitled  at  least,  one  would  think,  to  as  good  "a  penny"  as 
the  eleventh-hour  man.  The  tickets  for  Congress  and  Assembly 
went  down  admirably;  the  meeting  swallowed  Monroe  and  all 
without   a   wTy  face.     This   is   all   right;    this   unanimity   "gives 


l838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  329 

token  of  a  goodly  day  to-morrow."  We  must  gain  the  victory 
now,  and  afterward  try  to  get  some  of  these  little  matters,  which 
are  out  of  joint  at  present,  adjusted  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
good  men  and  true. 

October  31.  —  "Who  reads  an  American  book?" 
LitTrature  ^^^^  *^^  impertinent  question  of  an  English  coxcomb. 
Somebody  must  have  read  Prescott's  excellent  "  His- 
tory of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,"  with  delight  equal  to  my  own, 
and  also  Stone's  "  Life  of  Brant,"  which  I  intend  to  read  with 
equal  pleasure  one  of  these  days.  For  of  both  these  popular 
works  three  editions  have  been  published,  and  the  last  edition  of 
the  latter  was  sold  at  an  advance  from  that  of  the  first  of  a 
dollar  and  a  half,  the  original  price  of  three  dollars  and  a  half 
having  been  found  insufficient  to  leave  a  profit  to  the  publisher. 
This  is  honourable  to  the  taste  of  our  reading  public.  They  are 
not  mere  works  of  amusement,  but  standard  histories,  recording 
the  events  of  days  and  of  countries  widely  separated. 

November  i.  —  ■Sly  journal  partakes  unavoidably  in 
Ejections  ^  large  degree  of  the  subject  which  occupies  and 
absorbs  the  minds  of  nine-tenths  of  all  the  folks  one 
meets  about  these  times.  Election,  Monroe ;  abolition,  Bradish ; 
nullification,  Calhoun,  —  all  other  topics  run  into  and  are  swal- 
lowed up  by  this  troubled  reservoir  of  party  spirit  and  infuriated 
patriotism.  What  a  happy  country  to  be  so  well  looked  after 
by  its  citizens  !  A  man  is  almost  considered  tainted  with  treason 
toward  the  sovereign  people  who  pretends  to  attend  to  his  own 
business. 

November  2.  —  A  great  meeting  of  Whig  merchants  was  held 
this  day  in  Wall  street,  opposite  the  new  Exchange.  Benjamin 
Strong  presided,  with  a  number  of  vice-presidents.  Spirited  reso- 
lutions were  adopted,  condemning  the  measures  of  the  Government, 
and  inciting  the  merchants  to  union  and  exertion  in  the  approach- 
ing election.  But  it  was  not  required  ;  the  spirit  of  the  Whigs  is 
raised  to  the  highest  pitch.     The  merchants  have  given  freely,  the 


330  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

workingmen  are  prepared  for  action,  and  the  whole  party  well 
organized.  Our  hopes  are  high,  and  every  man  in  the  Whig  ranks 
says  to  his  neighbour,  in  the  words  of  one  of  Oliver  Cromwell's  offi- 
cers, "Trust  in  the  Lord,  but  keep  your  powder  dry." 

I  was  appointed  by  the  committee  to  open  the  meeting  and  read 
the  resolutions.  I  spoke  for.  about  twenty  minutes,  and  then  read 
the  resolutions  with  all  the  voice  I  could  command.  But  my  posi- 
tion in  the  open  air,  with  the  large  openings  and  broken  masses 
behind  me,  made  the  task  somewhat  painful ;  but  I  believe  nobody 
could  have  been  better  heard,  for  my  voice  is  strong,  and  I  think  I 
read  very  distinctly. 

The  scene,  from  the  elevation  on  which  I  was  placed,  was  exceed- 
ingly picturesque.  The  immense  mass  of  heads  on  the  level  street, 
the  groups  on  blocks  of  granite  and  the  irregular  eminences  of  the 
unfinished  edifice,  the  heads  projecting  from  the  windows,  and  the 
crowds  on  the  stoops  of  the  opposite  side  of  Wall  street,  with  the 
brightness  of  the  weather,  and  the  animated  expression  of  every 
honest  Whig  face  that  beamed  upon  me  while  speaking,  presented 
a  coup  d^ ceil  snch.  as  no  other  occasion  could  have  produced.  After 
I  finished,  Mr.  Perit  addressed  the  meeting,  when  the  question 
was  put  on  adjournment,  and  the  feelings  of  the  people  were 
so  strongly  and  so  agreeably  excited  that  it  was  fairly  voted 
down.  They  called  for  Hoffman  :  he  was  not  there  ;  for  Chandler 
Starr :  he  was  out  of  town ;  for  me  again :  I  had  spoken ;  for 
"Anybody,  then!"  shouted  half-a-dozen  voices.  At  length  a 
popular  orator,  Mr.  Reynolds,  came  forward,  made  a  long  speech, 
which  nineteen  out  of  twenty  did  not  hear,  and  the  meeting  then 
adjourned. 

November  6.  — The  Whig  cause  continues  bright  as  ever.  The 
greatest  procession  of  Whigs  that  ever  assembled  paraded  the 
streets  last  evening,  after  the  returns  from  the  wards  had  been  re- 
ceived at  head-quarters.  They  honoured  me  with  a  visit,  and  their 
fine  band  played  several  martial  airs  before  the  house.  I  regretted 
much  that  I  was  not  at  home  to  address  them. 


iSjS.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  33 1 

November  7.  —  The  election  closed  this  day  at  sun- 
^    '^  set,  after  the  severest   contest  we  have  ever   known. 

Success.  ' 

The  whole  Whig  ticket  is  elected.  The  ofificial  returns 
are,  of  course,  not  complete ;  but  enough  was  known  by  eleven 
o'clock  to  make  it  certain  that  the  Whig  majority  for  the  Congress 
ticket  is  about  fifteen  hundred,  and  the  Assembly  will  not  vary 
materially  from  that  result. 

The  greatest  excitement  prevailed  during  the  evening.  Masonic 
Hall  was  crammed  full,  and  the  street  from  Pearl  to  Duane  street  a 
solid  mass  of  Whigs,  anxious  at  first  and  exulting  afterward,  but 
orderly  during  the  whole  time.  This  election  probably  determines 
the  question  in  this  State,  and  Mr.  Van  Buren's  chance  of  reelection 
may  now  be  considered  desperate.  The  good  news  of  the  election 
comes  in  from  the  North  and  West ;  the  river  counties  have  turned 
out  better  than  we  calculated.  Dutchess  and  Ulster  have  given  the 
Whigs  thundering  majorities.  We  have,  without  doubt,  secured  a 
majority  of  members  of  Congress,  and  Seward  and  Bradish  are 
elected  by  large  majorities  over  Marcy  and  Tracy.  There  is  one 
alloy  to  this  triumph,  however.  Benjamin  Silliman,  in  Kings 
county,  and  John  A.  King,  in  Queens,  two  of  the  best  members  in 
the  last  House  of  Assembly,  have  lost  their  elections,  the  former  by 
one  or  two  votes,  and  the  latter  by  thirty-two.  The  notes  of  vic- 
tory were  again  sounded  this  evening  before  my  house  by  the 
Whigs.  I  opened  the  window  of  the  library,  congratulated  and 
thanked  them,  and  they  "went  on  their  way  rejoicing." 

November  13.  —  The  dark  clouds  which  covered  the  political 
and  mercantile  horizon  at  the  commencement  of  the  last  volume 
of  my  journal,  and  overshadowed  the  future  prospect  of  individ- 
uals, though  not  entirely  dispelled,  have  been  broken,  insomuch 
that  some  bright  rays  of  sunshine  do  occasionally  burst  forth,  and 
men  are  encouraged  to  hope  for  clearer  skies  and  better  days  to 
come. 

Business  has  revived.  Debts  from  afar  begin  to  come  in  with- 
out the  sacrifice  occasioned  by  ruinous  exchanges.     The  English 


332  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  58. 

and  French  creditors  have  succeeded  in  collecting  their  American 
debts  much  better  than  they  expected.  Mechanics  find  good  em- 
ployment ;  the  suspended  improvements  of  our  city  in  private  and 
public  buildings  have  been  in  many  cases  resumed,  and  to  all  this 
may  be  added  the  glorious  victory  of  the  Whigs  in  the  election 
which  has  just  terminated  in  this  State.  The  returns  of  the  elec- 
tion are  all  in  but  one  or  two  small  counties,  which  will  not  mate- 
rially vary  the  result.  We  have  lost  two  or  three  members  of 
Congress  and  Assembly  by  very  trifling  majorities,  so  that  we  do 
not  stand  quite  so  well  as  was  at  first  reported ;  but  we  have  Con- 
gress 21  to  19  and  Assembly  80  to  48.  Seward  and  Bradish  are 
elected  by  ten  thousand  to  eleven  thousand  majority. 

The  only  improvement  in  my  private  affairs  is  the  increased 
facility  I  have  found  in  borrowing  money  at  a  fair  rate  of  interest 
on  mortgage  of  my  real  estate,  by  which  I  have  been  enabled  to 
pay  a  large  proportion  of  the  debts  I  assumed  for  my  sons.  But 
the  collections  come  in  very  slowly,  and  I  have  no  reasonable  hope 
that  the  ultimate  amount  of  my  losses  will  be  less  than  I  calculated 
at  first ;  still  I  have  great  reason  to  be  thankful.  My  health  and 
spirits  are  good ;  my  family  are  all  under  my  roof,  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  health  and  happiness.  My  daughters  are  with  us.  Mary's 
health  is  improving  daily.  I  stand  as  high,  I  hope,  in  the  estima- 
tion of  my  fellow-citizens  as  I  ever  did,  and  with  a  firm  trust  in 
God  all  will  yet  be  well. 

The  city  has  been  agitated  to-day  by  reports  of  a 

rea     e  a  -     (jef^ic^tiQ^  in  the  accounts  of  the  late  collector  of  the 

cation. 

port,  Samuel  Swartwout,  to  the  amount  of  a  million 
and  a  quarter  of  dollars.  He  has  taken  the  public  money  and 
engaged  with  it  in  wild  speculations  of  Texas  lands,  gold  mines, 
and  other  humbugs,  which  have  caused  ruin  for  several  years  past 
to  men  of  more  means  and  greater  judgment  than  Mr.  Swartwout. 
A  large  proportion  of  this  abstraction  of  the  public  funds  took 
place  during  the  first  two  years  of  his  coUectorship,  and  the  amount 
has  been  increasing  ever  since.     How  it  was  possible  that  so  enor- 


iSjS.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP    HONE.  333 

mous  a  deficiency  should  never  have  been  discovered  until  now  is 
perfectly  inconceivable  !  It  is  a  dreadful  commentary  upon  the 
manner  of  conducting  business  at  Washington,  and  it  would  appear 
impossible  that  there  should  not  have  been  connivance  on  the  part 
of  some  of  the  coordinate  branches  of  the  department,  either  there 
or  here.  This  is  a  pretty  illustration  of  Mr.  Van  I'juren's  hopeful 
sub-treasury  scheme,  by  which  the  collectors  are  made  the  deposi- 
taries of  the  public  money.  Banks  are  not  to  be  trusted.  The 
money  must  not  be  lent,  upon  the  best  securities  in  the  world,  to 
the  merchants  whose  enterprise  has  earned,  and  whose  integrity 
has  paid  it  to  the  Government ;  but  such  men  as  Mr.  Swartwout  may 
take  it  to  speculate  in  land  in  the  moon,  or  elsewhere  not  much 
nearer  home,  or  in  imaginary  treasures  which  the  teeming  earth  is 
supposed  to  hold  within  its  womb,  and  as  yet  has  refused  to  render 
up  even  to  such  skilful  midwives  as  our  late  collector. 

President  Jackson,  on  his  accession  to  office,  made  a  great  fuss 
about  public  defaulters,  prosecuted  several  petty  offenders,  whom 
he  got  imprisoned,  and  swore  in  his  usual  amiable  manner  that  they 
should  never  be  released,  and  at  the  same  time  appointed  his  per- 
sonal friends,  who  were  notoriously  irresponsible,  to  offices  of  the 
highest  trust,  whose  claims  consisted  only  in  their  unscrupulous 
devotion  to  him  and  his  party ;  and  when  a  committee  of  Congress 
was  raised  to  investigate  the  affairs  of  the  treasury  department, 
which  investigation  would  have  naturally  led  to  the  discovery  of 
this  and  other  similar  frauds,  he  interposed  between  his  servants 
and  the  representatives  of  the  people,  would  not  allow  them  to 
answer  questions,  and  took  upon  himself  the  responsibility. 

The  Hone  Club  dined  yesterday  with  Moses  H.  Grinnell.  We 
had  Hoffman,  Curtis,  Wetmore,  and  other  Whigs.  There  were 
more  guests  and  more  dinner  than  the  law  allows ;  but  I  suppose  it 
must  be  overlooked,  in  consideration  of  this  being  the  first  dinner 
which  our  friend  has  given  since  his  election  to  Congress. 

I  went  this  evening  with  the  Schermerhorns  to  the  farewell 
benefit  of  Mr.  Charles  Matthews,  at  the  Park  Theatre.     It  was  a  full 


334  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.'  [^tat.  58. 

house  ;  but  he  and  his  wife  have  not  received  the  encouragement 
which  foreign  stars  usually  receive  in  this  country,  nor  do  I  think 
as  much  as  they  deserved.  They  came  out  upon  a  long  engage- 
ment, which  their  want  of  success  has  suddenly  terminated,  and 
they  return  disappointed,  and  ready  (as  in  the  case  of  Matthews's 
father)  to  abuse  us  for  the  want  of  a  proper  appreciation  of 
their  talents. 

November     15.  — ■  Mr.     Webster,    having     invited 
Visit  to  Messrs.  Draper,  Duer,  Blatchford,  and  myself  to  dine 

Boston.  i.       J  '  '  J 

with  him  in  Boston,  we  prepared  to  go  this  day  ;  but  the 
weather  proving  unfavorable  I  gave  up  all  thought  of  going  until 
I  received  a  note  from  Draper  ordering  me  on  board  the  steam- 
boat at  half-past  four  o'clock ;  so  I  took  an  early  dinner,  and  met 
Draper  on  board  the  "  Narragansett  "  at  that  hour.  Messrs.  Duer 
and  Blatchford  being  prevented  from  going,  the  party  was  reduced 
to  Draper  and  myself. 

November  16,  —  Mr.  Draper  and  I  left  New  York  in  a  north- 
east storm,  arrived  at  Stonington  at  two  in  the  morning,  and  came 
to  Boston,  by  the  railroad,  at  nine  o'clock  this  morning.  This  is 
a  most  expeditious  mode  of  travelling ;  leaving  New  York  at  the 
close  of  one  day  and  being  in  Boston,  two  hundred  and  forty  miles 
away,  at  the  commencement  of  the  next. 

Mr.  Webster  called  at  the  Tremont  House  as  soon  as  we  arrived 
and  invited  us  to  dine.  He  and  I  walked  out.  In  the  course 
of  our  walk  we  called  upon  Mr.  H.  G  Otis  and  Colonel  Perkins ; 
both  these  worthy  old  sons  are  laid  up  with  the  gout.  We  did 
not  see  the  Colonel,  and  I  afterward  received  a  kind  note  from  him, 
urging  me  to  repeat  my  visit.  Mr.  Otis  wants  me  to  dine  with 
him  to-morrow,  and  in  the  evening  he  repeated  his  invitation  in  a 
note.  Several  other  friends  called  and  invited  me ,  but  the  weather 
promises  to  be  fine  to-morrow,  Mr.  Draper  must  be  at  home  on 
Sunday,  so  I  shall  not  extend  the  flying  visit  to  Boston  beyond  its 
original  limits. 

We  met  a  pleasant  party  at  dinner  at  Mr.  Webster's  •  Governor 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  335 

Everett ;  Mr.  Winthrop,  the  Speaker ;  Governor  Lincoln ;  Mr. 
Ticknor,  who  has  lately  returned  from  Europe ;  Mr.  Fletcher 
Webster,  of  Illinois,  and  his  pretty  wife,  who  are  on  a  visit  to  their 
father ;  Messrs.  Davis,  Sturges,  etc.     We  sat  until  eleven  o'clock. 

November  17.  —  I  received  the  usual  kind  calls  this  morning, 
and  pressing  invitations  to  dinner,  and  availed  myself  of  a  fine  cold 
day  to  walk  out  and  see  the  Boston  lions  and  make  some  visits ; 
among  the  rest  to  Colonel  Perkins,  who  lives  en  prince,  and  has  a 
fine  collection  of  pictures,  to  which  he  made  many  valuable  addi- 
tions during  his  last  visit  to  Europe. 

Arrival  of  ^^^^  YoRK,  Nov.  1 9.  —  On   Thursday   last    arrived 

the  "Great  the  successful  stcam-pa^kct  "Great  Western."  She 
Western."  galled  from  Bristol  on  the  2Sth  of  October;  has  had 
very  hard  weather  and  heavy  winds.  She  has  many  passengers  ; 
in  the  number  are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  H.  Aspinwall,  Mr.  Will- 
iam Heyvvard  and  his  family.  Rev.  Dr.  Schroeder  and  his  family, 
and  my  old  acquaintance,  Vincent  Nolte. 

November    21.  —  In   the   ship  "President,"  which 
ap  am  sailed  yesterday  for  London,  went  passenger  Captain 

Marryat,  not  any  better  pleased  with  the  Americans 
than  they  with  him.  It  would  have  been  better  for  both  parties  if 
the  sailor  author  had  been  known  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  only 
by  his  writings.  When  he  arrived  in  New  York  he  brought  me  a 
letter  of  introduction.  I  called  upon  him,  and  he  dined  with  us ; 
but  neither  I  nor  my  family,  nor  the  friends  whom  I  invited  to 
meet  him,  could  discover  in  his  conversation  any  of  the  talents 
which  his  works  had  taught  us  to  expect,  or  in  his  deportment  the 
ease  and  knowledge  of  the  world  which  is  frequently  to  be  met  in 
its  pages. 

He  is  a  good  seaman  without  doubt,  and  has,  somehow  or  other, 
the  materials  for  writing  good  stories,  and  a  style  well  calculated 
to  give  them  popularity ;  but  he  has  evidently  never  enjoyed  the 
benefits  of  refined  society,  or  intercourse  with  people  of  literary 
talents.     He  is  a  sort  of  Basil  Hall,  without  his  impudence. 


336  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 


Wall-street 
Property. 


The  house  at  the  corner  of  Wall  and  Hanover 
streets  has  been  sold  to  the  North  American  Trust  and 
Banking  Company,  by  Thomas  E.  Davis,  for  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  $223,000  ;  higher  than  anything  which  has  yet  been 
heard  of.  This  building  is  somewhat  notorious  from  its  having  been 
erected  upon  the  site  of  one  built  by  J.  L.  and  S.  Joseph,  which, 
about  the  time  it  was  completed,  fell  to  the  ground  one  night  with 
a  crash  which  shook  all  Wall  street ;  and  its  fall  was  the  precursor 
of  a  much  more  tremendous  crash  in  that  celebrated  street,  com- 
mencing with  the  failure  of  the  firm  that  erected  it,  and  ending 
with  the  suspension  of  specie  payments,  and  the  bankruptcy  of  one- 
half  of  the  merchants  and  traders  of  New  York. 

November  22.  —  This  gentleman  has  just  been  pub- 
Femmore         Ushing    two    new   works,    "Homeward    Bound"    and 

Cooper.  ° 

"Home  as  Found,"  which  are  reviewed,  and  the 
author  most  unmercifully  scourged,  in  an  able  leading  article  of  the 
"  Courier  and  Enquirer "  of  this  morning ;  a  more  severe,  and, 
I  add,  a  better  written,  castigation  was  never  inflicted  upon  an  arro- 
gant, acrimonious  writer  than  this.  Mr.  Cooper,  spoiled  at  first  by 
the  kindness  of  his  countrymen,  and  inflated  by  the  praise  of 
Europeans,  who  read  his  books  without  coming  into  personal  con- 
tact with  the  writer,  has  returned  to  his  own  country  full  of 
malicious  spleen  against  his  countrymen,  because,  as  I  verily 
believe,  he  could  not  bully  them  into  approving  his  dogmatical 
opinions,  and  liking  his  swaggering  airs  as  well  as  the  patriotic 
principles  and  unpretending  deportment  of  his  distinguished  rival, 
Washington  Irving. 

The  works  now  published,  of  which  copious  extracts  are  made 
in  the  "  Courier  and  Enquirer,"  represent  everything  in  this 
country  in  the  most  disparaging  light ;  the  misrepresentations  are 
as  gross,  and  the  uncharitable  temper  as  disgusting,  as  anything  to 
be  found  in  Basil  Hall's,  or  Captain  Hamilton's,  or  Mrs.  Trollope's 
lying  histories,  and  (what  is  more  wonderful  coming  from  such  a 
quarter)  the  style  of  the  works  is  puerile  and  the  incidents  ridicu- 


183S.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  337 

lous ;  more  worthy  of  the  talents  of  a  silly  girl  than  of  the  matured 
genius  of  the  author  of  "The  Spy  "  and  "The  Pioneers." 

Nov'EMBER  23. —  In  the  packet-ship  "Siddons,"  which  arrived 
yesterday,  came  passengers,  Mr.  William  Brown  and  his  lady,  of 
Liverpool.  Mr.  Brown  is  the  senior  partner  in  the  great  house  of 
William  and  James  Brown  &  Co.,  of  that  place.  They  have,  I  pre- 
sume, come  out  to  attend  the  wedding  of  their  only  son,  who  is  to 
marry  his  cousin,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  James  Brown,  of  this  city. 

Decemeer  5.  —  Congress  met  on  Monday.  The 
ee  ingo  Housc  is  SO  nearly  divided  that  it  is  not  probable  that 
the  sub-treasury  scheme,  or  any  other  of  the  Govern- 
ment abominations,  can  be  carried  through.  The  President's 
message  was  sent  to  Congress  on  Tuesday,  at  twelve  o'clock,  and, 
by  an  arrangement  made  by  the  post-ofifice  with  the  railroad, 
reached  the  city  of  Jersey,  two  hundred  and  forty-five  miles,  at 
half-past  ten  o'clock  last  evening,  and  was  delivered  at  our  post- 
office.  If  this  is  not  quick  work,  the  deuce  is  in  it, —  twenty-three 
miles  an  hour,  the  whole  distance,  one-half  of  it  after  dark. 

The  message  is  long  enough,  six  newspaper  columns  closely 
printed.  There  is  the  usual  quantity  of  humbug  about  the  power 
of  the  sovereign  people,  although  all  the  world  knows  that  the 
writer  and  "  his  illustrious  predecessor  "  have  done  more  to  crib 
this  power  from  the  dear  people  than  any  who  went  before  them ; 
a  plentiful  use  of  such  pretty,  set  phrases  as  "The  anti- republican 
tendencies  of  associated  wealth,"  "Vortex  of  reckless  speculation," 
"  Banks  perverting  the  operations  of  the  Government  to  their  own 
puri^oses,"  and  such  unmeaning  twaddle,  whilst  he  knows  in  his 
heart  and  soul  that  he  and  his  party  in  his  own  State  have  created 
all  the  banks  here  to  subser\'e  their  political  objects  ever  since 
they  have  had  the  ascendency,  and  now  rail  against  them  when 
their  subserviency  begins  to  fail.  He  does  not  say  a  word  this 
time  about  the  elections,  nor  does  he  seek  to  propitiate  the 
"sober,  second  thoughts  of  the  people,"  having  found  that  to  be 
"no  go." 


338  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  5S. 

December  6.  —  The  anniversary  dinner  of  the    St. 
.t. .  ic  o  as      ]vjjcholas   Society  was   held   to-day,  at   the   American 

Dinner.  •'  ^ ' 

Hotel.  Mr.  Cozzens  gave  as  good  a  dinner  as  I  ever 
sat  dowii  to ;  all  excellent,  hot  and  well  served,  and  the  wines 
capital.  There  was  the  usual  quantity  of  toasting  and  speaking. 
The  President  (Mr.  Verplanck)  made  a  long  address,  in  the  form 
of  an  annual  report  of  the  state  of  the  society,  in  his  quaint,  amus- 
ing style.  Dr.  Francis,  as  physician-general,  was  very  happy.  I 
made  a  short  address  when  called  upon,  and  concluded  with  the 
following  toast :  New  Yorkers,  "  at  home  "  to  all  the  world  ;  let 
them  not  forget  that  they  are  masters  of  the  house. 

William  M.  Price,  the  United  States  Attorney  for 
^""  ^^  this  district,  another  of  General   Jackson's  pets,  and 

Defaulter.  '  j  tr       j 

one  of  Mr.  Van  Buren's  depositaries  of  the  public 
money,  "in  spite"  (as  Mr.  Cambreling  said)  "of  the  lamen- 
tations of  the  people,"  took  himself  off  this  morning  "  without 
beat  of  drum."  His  flight  was  not  known  until  an  hour  or  two 
after  the  departure  of  the  British  steamer  "  Liverpool,"  when  Wall 
street  was  in  an  uproar  on  the  receipt  of  the  intelligence  that  this 
faithful  steward  of  the  Government  was  a  passenger. 

These  are  the  men  who,  for  political  services  formerly  rendered 
(and  in  the  case  of  Price  continued  unblushingly  to  the  last),  were 
appointed  to  the  two  most  responsible  offices  in  the  gift  of  the 
general  Government,  at  a  time  when  neither  of  them  could  have  got 
the  credit  upon  his  personal  responsibility  for  a  hundred  dollars. 
Here  are  some  of  the  fruits  of  the  corrupt,  demoralizing  system 
which  originated  with  his  country's  curse,  Andrew  Jackson,  and  has 
been  unscrupulously  carried  out  by  the  puppet  who  thought  it 
"honour  enough  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his  illustrious  prede- 
cessor." Price  was  formerly  a  violent,  brawling  Federalist,  and 
when  he  found  he  could  get  nothing  by  that  he  became  a  Demo- 
crat and  Tammany  man,  more  violent  and  brawling  louder  even 
than  he  did  on  the  other  side,  but  with  better  success.  He  became 
the  Marat,  the  Danton  of  the  party,  the  Anacharsis  Clootz,  the 


183S.]  THE   DIARV   OF   PIITLIP   IIOXE.      '  339 

orator,  not  of  the  human  race,  but  of  the  profligate  race  whose  vigils 
were  held  at  Tammany  Hall  and  the  several  subordinate  pandemo- 
niums of  the  respective  wards  ;  supporting  through  thick  and  thin 
the  pernicious  measures  of  his  master,  and  denouncing  all  honest 
men  who  dared  to  doubt  their  infallibility.  A  demagogue  of  the 
first  rank,  he  was  precisely  the  man  they  wanted.  They  knew 
their  Price,  and  he  knew  his,  and  the  unsuccessful  Jacobin  of  the 
Federal  party  became  the  pampered  minion  of  the  Loco-focos. 

The  city  is  in  an  uproar  ;  every  hour  brings  fresh  reports.  This 
glorious  election  !  Well  are  we  rewarded  for  time  and  money 
spent  and  services  rendered  in  the  good  cause.  The  light  of  truth  is 
now  penetrating  into  the  dark  recesses  of  corruption.  The  spoilers 
will  be  condemned  to  disgorge  the  spoils  which  they  have  themselves 
"told  us  belong  to  the  victors,"  and,  if  it  be  not  too  late,  honest 
men  may  come  to  their  rights  and  the  Republic  be  saved. 

December  7. — The  breaking  up  of  the  Loco-foco 
J!  7^  forces  in  different  parts  of  the  country  produces  every 

day  some  new  development  of  party  atrocity ;  a  '  state 
of  things  exists  in  Pennsylvania  extremely  alarming ;  little  short, 
indeed,  of  civil  war.  The  return  of  the  judges  of  the  election 
for  the  county  of  Philadelphia  being  in  favor  of  the  Whig  candi- 
dates, they,  as  well  as  those  on  the  other  side,  appeared  at 
Harrisburg  on  Tuesday  last,  at  the  organization  of  the  Legis- 
lature, and  claimed  their  seats  as  members  of  the  House  of 
Representatives.  The  Whigs,  having  the  returns  of  a  majority 
of  the  judges,  were  entitled  to  their  seats  until  the  house  was 
organized  to  receive  the  protest  of  their  opponents ;  but  this  legal 
course  of  proceeding  was  opposed  by  the  Van  Buren  men,  and  a 
scene  occurred  more  outrageous  than  ever  before  witnessed  in  a 
country  professing  to  be  governed  by  written  law  and  established 
rules.  Both  parties  elected  their  own  Speaker,  and  both  proceeded 
to  business  in  the  same  hall.  Confusion  and  disorder  reigned  for  a 
time,  until  brutal  violence  was  resorted  to  and  the  hall  was  left  in 
possession  of  the  Loco-focos,  supported  by  a  mob  of  ruffians  in 


340  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   PIONE.  [^Etat.  58. 

the  galleries.  The  whole  was  a  scene  hitherto  paralleled  only  by 
the  sittings  of  the  National  Assembly  of  France,  or  the  Jacobin 
Club  of  Paris  in  the  horrid  days  of  anarchy  and  bloodshed  which 
ushered  in  the  Revolution  and  led  to  the  destruction  of  everything 
*'  good  and  lovely  and  of  good  report  "  in  that  devoted  country. 
God  grant  that  the  same  causes  here  may  not  produce  the  same 
results  !  Virtuous  men  here  begin  to  fear  the  worst.  Now  is  the 
critical  moment  of  our  country's  fate.  If  the  Whigs  continue  to 
grow  in  numbers  and  remain  firm  in  the  good  cause  they  may  suc- 
ceed in  subjecting  the  rabble  of  Loco-foco  Jacobins  to  the  power 
of  the  laws ;  but  if  not,  the  time  is  close,  very  close,  at  hand,  when 
this  noble  country  of  ours  will  be  subject  to  all  the  horrors  of  civil 
war ;  our  republican  institutions,  theoretically  so  beautiful,  but  re- 
lying unfortunately  too  much  upon  the  virtue  and  intelligence  of 
the  people,  will  be  broken  into  pieces,  and  a  suffering  and  abused 
nation  will  be  compelled  to  submit  to  the  degrading  alternative  of 
Jacobin  misrule  or  the  tyranny  of  a  Caesar,  a  Cromwell,  or  a  Bona- 
parte. To  return  to  Harrisburg  :  the  mob  having  possession  of  the 
Representatives'  hall  next  attacked  the  Senate,  where  the  Whig  ma- 
jority is  so  large  that  no  dispute  could  possibly  arise.  That  House 
attempted  to  meet  in  the  afternoon,  but  the  same  scene  was  re- 
enacted  there  ;  riot  and  confusion  prevailed  throughout.  The  presi- 
dent's chair  was  usurped  by  a  demagogue  named  John  McCahen, 
who  addressed  the  ruffians  around  him,  instigating  them  to  violence. 
The  senators  were  assailed,  beaten,  dragged  out,  and  driven  from 
their  seats.  The  accounts  do  not  as  yet  inform  us  that  any  lives 
were  lost.  The  Governor  has  issued  his  proclamation,  calling  out 
the  troops,  and  general  orders  are  published  in  the  Pennsylvania 
papers  for  troops  to  assemble  and  march  from  other  parts  of  the 
State  to  Harrisburg,  the  seat  of  war. 

The  times  are  out  of  joint.  The  United  States  are  surrounded 
by  difficulties  and  dangers  requiring  a  strong  arm  and  a  better 
head  and  purer  political  morality  than  are  ever  to  be  found  in  a 
mere    party   manager  and   popular   demagogue.      The    dishonest 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  341 

servants  of  a  corrupt  administration  running  away  with  the 
people's  money ;  the  halls  of  Legislature  invaded  in  a  neighbour- 
ing state  by  a  ruthless  faction,  and  the  laws  of  the  Commonwealth 
openly  set  at  defiance ;  abolitionism  fomented  by  fanaticism  on 
one  side,  and  restricted  by  pride  on  the  other;  our  misguided 
citizens  meddling  with  other  people's  concerns  on  the  northern 
frontier,  and  running  their  foolish  heads  into  Canadian  halters, 
and  sympathizing  on  the  southern  with  a  band  of  reckless  buc- 
caneers whose  brotherhood  would  lead  to  endless  strife  and  ulti- 
mate disunion ;  the  treasure  and  blood  of  the  republic  expended 
and  spilt  in  an  Indian  warfare  in  tenfold  quantities,  to  remedy 
the  bad  management  of  our  rulers ;  character,  talents,  and  moral 
worth  rendered  of  no  account  in  competition  with  the  claims  of 
political  services,  —  from  the  effect  of  all  these  evils  "  Good  Lord, 
deliver  us  !  " 

Deceiviber   8.  —  The  Legislature  of    the  State  of 
ec  ion  o        ]\iissouri  did  themselves  the  distinndshcd honour,  on  the 

iJenton.  "^  ' 

2 1  St  of  last  month,  to  elect  that  prince  of  humbugs 
and  enlightener  of  the  Loco-focos,  Mr.  T.  H.  Benton,  senator  of 
the  United  States  for  six  mortal  years  more. 

The  Baptist  meeting-house  at  Reading,  Conn.,  was 
Violence"""  blown  Up  by  guupowdcr  on  the  night  of  the  28th 
of  last  month.  A  man  named  Colver,  an  abolition 
lecturer,  had  been  holding  forth  in  the  church,  and  was  to  lecture 
again,  when  a  fanatic  on  the  other  side  of  the  question  placed 
a  keg  of  powder  under  the  pulpit,  and  blew  the  whole  "  sky 
high." 

We   had    to  dine  with   us   to-day  Mr.  Christopher 
".  "^^.' .,      Hughes,  American  chars^e  at  Stockholm,  Col.  Webb, 

pccted  Visitor.  o         '  o  >  > 

Mr.  William  B.  Astor,  and  Dr.  Francis.  Whilst  we 
were  at  dinner  there  was  a  ring  at  the  street  door-bell.  The 
boy  Daniel  went  out,  and  found  nobody  there ;  but  there  was 
a  basket  on  the  sill  of  the  door,  which  he  brought  into  the 
dining-room,  and   it   was  found    to    contain  a  lovely  infant,  ap- 


342  THE   DIA'RY   of   PIIILIP   hone.  [/Etat.58. 

parently  about  a  week  old,  stowed  away  nicely  in  soft  cotton. 
It  had  on  a  clean  worked  muslin  frock,  lace  cap,  its  under-clothes 
new  and  perfectly  clean,  a  locket  on  the  neck  which  opened  with 
a  si)ring  and  contained  a  lock  of  dark  hair;  the  whole  covered 
nicely  with  a  piece  of  new  flannel,  and  a  label  was  pinned  on  the 
breast  on  which  w^as  written,  in  a  female  hand,  Alfred  G.  Douglas. 
It  was  one  of  the  sweetest  babies  I  ever  saw ;  apparently  healthy. 
It  did  not  cry  during  the  time  we  had  it,  but  laid  in  a  placid, 
dozing  state,  and  occasionally,  on  the  approach  of  the  light, 
opened  its  little,  sparkling  eyes,  and  seemed  satisfied  with  the 
company  into  which  it  had  been  so  strangely  introduced.  Poor 
little  innocent,  —  abandoned  by  its  natural  protector,  and  thrown 
at  its  entrance  into  life  upon  the  sympathy  of  a  selfish  world,  to  be 
exposed,  if  it  should  live,  to  the  sneers  and  taunts  of  uncharitable 
legitimacy  !  How  often  in  his  future  life  may  the  bitter  wish 
swell  in  his  heart  and  rise  to  his  lips,  that  those  eyes  which  now 
opened  so  mildly  upon  me  whilst  I  was  gazing  upon  his  innocent 
face  had  been  forever  closed.  IMy  feelings  were  strongly  inter- 
ested, and  I  felt  inclined  at  first  to  take  in  and  cherish  the  little 
stranger ;  but  this  was  strongly  opposed  by  the  company,  who 
urged,  very  properly,  that  in  that  case  I  would  have  twenty  more 
such  outlets  to  my  benevolence.  I  reflected,  moreover,  that  if 
the  little  urchin  should  turn  out  bad,  he  would  prove  a  trouble- 
some inmate ;  and  if  intelligent  and  good,  by  the  time  he  became 
an  object  of  my  affection  the  rightful  owners  might  come  and 
take  him  away.  So  John  Stotes  was  summoned,  and  sent  off 
with  the  little  wanderer  to  the  almshouse. 

The  group  in  the  kitchen  which  surrounded  the  basket,  before 
John  took  it  away,  would  have  furnished  a  capital  subject  for  a 
painter.  There  was  the  elegant  diplomat,  the  inquisitive  doctor, 
the  bluff  editor,  and  the  calculating  millionnaire ;  my  wife  and 
daughters,  standing  like  the  daughters  of  Pharoah  over  the 
infant  Moses  in  the  bulrushes,  —  all  interested,  but  differently 
affected,    the    maids    shoving  forward   to  get   a  last   peep ;    little 


1838.]'  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  343 

Emily,  the  black  cook,  ever  and  anon  showing  her  white  teeth ; 
James  and  Dannie  in  the  background,  wondering  that  so  great  a 
fuss  should  be  made  about  so  small  a  matter ;  and  John,  wrapped 
up  in  his  characteristically  neat  overcoat,  waiting,  with  all  the 
dignified  composure  which  marks  his  demeanor,  to  receive  his 
interesting  charge  and  convey  it  to  its  destination. 

December    12.  —  The    troops     from    Philadelphia, 
enns}  vania    ^j^^gj.   ^.j^g    Command    of    General    Patterson,    having 

Rebellion.  '  ° 

arrived  at  Harrisburg,  something  like  order  has  been 
restored,  and  the  two  houses  of  the  Legislature  have  met  daily,  not 
in  their  usual  place  of  meeting,  nor  for  the  despatch  of  business,  but 
for  the  purpose  of  adjourning  legally.  Commodore  Elliott  has  also 
arrived,  with  other  officers,  under  the  authority  of  the  general  Gov- 
ernment, to  command  the  United  States  forces  at  Carlisle.  These 
measures  may  keep  the  insurrection  under  whilst  the  troops  are 
present  3  but  the  flame  appears  to  be  only  smothered,  to  break  out 
whenever  they  are  withdrawn.  Charles  J.  Ingersoll,  the  author  of  all 
the  mischief,  and  other  leaders  must  be  hanged  to  restore  order. 

December  14.  —  Hospital  in  the  morning,  Savings-bank  in 
the  afternoon,  and,  afterward,  dinner  at  j\Ir.  Abraham  Schermer- 
horn's.  I  did  not,  of  course,  arrive  at  my  last  post  of  duty 
until  an  hour  after  the  time  I  was  invited  for  dinner,  but  quite 
in  time  for  all  beneficial  purposes.  I  noticed  a  fact  at  the 
dinner  table  to-day,  which  proves  the  increased  intercourse 
between  the  people  of  the  United  States  and  Europe.  Of  a 
party  of  twenty  seated  at  the  table  every  person  has  been  to 
Europe,  although  of  the  number  only  two,  Mr.  Schmidt  and 
Mr.  Maitland,  were  foreigners.  When  I  first  dined  out  frequently, 
that  distinguished  class  of  learned  pundits  who  had  been  "  abroad," 
as  the  term  then  was,  was  so  small,  that  if  we  had  one  native  who 
had  enjoyed  that  high  privilege  in  a  dinner-party  he  was  looked 
up  to  with  profound  respect  and  deference ;  "  a  rare  bird,  and 
somewhat  like  a  black  swan."  Now  the  streams  of  accumulated 
knowledge  may  be  obtained  at  innumerable  fountains  :  the  families 


344  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  58. 

of  Abraham  Schermerhorn,  of  James  J.  Jones,  of  T.  L.  Gibbes,  of 
Nathaniel  Prime  do  pour  forth  streams  of  intellectuality  (I  wish  I 
had  the  wheelbarrow  which  Dr.  Francis  alluded  to  at  the  St. 
Nicholas  Dinner,  to  carry  this  long  word)  sufficient  to  assuage  the 
thirst  of  the  most  ardent  and  untravelled  seeker  of  knowledge. 

December  15.  —  A  Loco-foco  member  of  Congress, 
Congressional  ^^^^  Maine,  named  Atherton,  brought  into  the  House 

Proceedings.  '  ^  o 

of  Representatives,  on  Tuesday  last,  certain  resolutions 
on  the  subject  of  slavery,  declaring  that  the  subject  was  not  to  be 
touched,  that  no  petitions  should  be  received,  and  that  Congress 
had  no  right  to  meddle  with  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 
This  political  tool  was  instigated  to  this  measure  by  his  brother 
Locos  of  the  South,  who  were,  no  doubt,  pledged  to  uphold  him 
in  his  subsequent  course.  The  resolutions  may  or  may  not  have 
been  proper ;  that  is  not  the  question ;  but  the  outrageous  impu- 
dence of  the  fellow,  and  the  profligate  support  which  it  received 
from  his  unprincipled  party,  were  evinced  in  his  speaking  for 
nearly  an  hour  in  support  of  his  resolutions,  and  concluding  by 
moving  the  previous  question,  thereby  precluding  all  reply,  and 
forcing  the  dose  down  the  reluctant  throats  of  men  of  all  political 
parties.  And  to  the  disgrace  of  the  House,  and  the  mortification 
of  all  honourable  men,  the  motion  was  carried  and  the  resolutions 
adopted  without  a  word  of  comment  (even  to  the  phraseology, 
which  John  P.  Kennedy  said  was  so  ungrammatical  that  his 
stomach,  which  had  been  to  school,  could  not  swallow  it),  except 
those  which  the  mover  had  used  in  their  flivor,  which  it  is  pre- 
sumed he  thought  unanswerable,  and  therefore  determined  should 
remain  unanswered. 

I  do  not  recollect  that  this  precise  case  has  ever  occurred  before. 
Its  unblushing  impudence  is  absolutely  amusing.  But  I  would  ask 
the  southern  gentleman  from  Maine,  whether  some  of  his  sagacious 
constituents  down  east  may  not  consider  it  a  sort  of  acknowledg- 
ment of  weakness,  and  dread  of  consequences  a  little  similar  to 
that  of  the  school-boy,  who,  coming  behind  his  companion,  hits 


183S.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  345 

him  a  punk  on  the  back,  and  then  takes  to  his  heels  for  fear  of 
the  counter-punk. 

December  17.  —  Mrs.  Brevoort  opened  her  splendid 
"^rt'  p'  house  on  Saturday  evening  to  a  large  jjarty.  I  went 
with  my  daughter.  It  was  a  grand  affair ;  there  is  not 
a  house  in  the  city  so  well  calculated  to  entertain  such  an  assem- 
blage ;  five  large  rooms  open  on  one  floor,  and  a  spacious  hall 
besides,  with  a  noble  staircase.  This  is  the  first  time  all  this  has 
been  shown  to  the  bon-ton,  and  the  capriciousness  of  the  master  and 
mistress  is  so  great  that  it  may  remain  a  sealed  book  for  half  a 
dozen  years,  unless  the  present  freak  should  continue. 

The  "  Utica  "  brings  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Eliza 
Rumpff,  wife  of  Vincent  Rumpff,  minister  resident  at  Paris  from  the 
Hanse  towns,  and  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor,  She  died  at  her 
residence  in  Switzerland,  near  Geneva,  This  lady  leaves  no  children. 
There  are,  therefore,  but  three  children  to  inherit  the  largest  fortune 
in  the  State,  —  William  B,  Astor,  Mrs.  Langdon,  and  a  son  who  is 
not  likely  to  interfere  with  the  claims  of  the  others.  If  William  lives 
to  old  age  he  will  probably  be  richer  than  his  father  now  is, 

December  25,  —  The  club  dined  yesterday  at  ]\Ir.  Crumby 's, 
Bond  street.  Of  the  members,  Messrs,  Grinnell  and  Duer  were 
absent ;  a  good  dinner,  good  singing,  and  plenty  of  wine.  The 
following  ode,  which  I  wrote  for  the  club,  having  been  set  to 
music  by  Mr.  C.  E.  Horn,  was  sung,  for  the  first  time,  by  Major 
Tucker :  — 

ODE  FOR  THE  HONE   CLUB. 


Our  club,  like  a  jury  impanelled,  we  view. 
Composed  of  twelve  freemen,  all  good  men  and  true; 
We  have  hearts  for  our  country,  religion,  and  laws, 
And  we  find  a  true  verdict  in  her  holy  cause. 

Answer,  then,  Mr.  Foreman,  are  you  all  agreed? 
President :  Agreed. 
Chorus  :  Agreed,  agreed;   we  are  all  of  one  mind, 

For  our  country  and  freedom,  our  verdict  we  find. 


346  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 


2. 

Will  you  stand  by  her  commerce,  unfettered  and  free? 
Shall  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  still  float  on  each  sea? 
Shall  mercantile  faith  a  just  recompense  claim, 
Protection  at  home,  and  abroad  a  good  name? 
How  answer  you  then?    Are  you  all  agreed? 
President:  Agreed. 
Chorus  ;  Agreed,  agreed;  we  are  all  of  one  mind, 

To  stand  by  the  merchants,  our  verdict  we  find. 

3- 

In  the  cause  now  before  you,  the  plaintiffs  appear, 
Good  order,  and  Reason,  and  Union  are  here; 
'Gainst  corruption  and  power  they  plead  their  own  cause, 
Relying  on  Truth,  Constitution,  and  Laws; 

Shall  the  good  cause  prevail?     Are  you  all  agreed? 
President :  Agreed. 
Chorus  :  Agreed,  agreed;  we  are  all  of  one  mind, 

In  support  of  the  good  cause,  our  verdict  we  find,   . 

4- 

Shall  Truth,  Love,  and  Friendship  our  club  still  unite. 
And  the  cares  of  the  day  ne'er  extend  to  the  night? 
Shall  innocent  mirth  and  good-humour  abound, 
And  our  bosom  beat  high  as  each  Monday  comes  'round? 
Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  are  you  all  agreed? 
President:  Agreed. 
Chorus  .  Agreed,  agreed;  we  are  all  of  one  mind. 

For  Truth,  Love,  and  Friendship,  our  verdict  we  find. 

5- 

Shall  our  bumpers  be  quaffed  as  the  wine  sparkles  bright, , 
And  the  talesmen  join  who  are  with  us  to-night? 
Our  hearts  warmed  by  friendship,  the  toast  shall  it  pass, 
*'  May  temperance  fill,  and  joy  empty,  the  glass  "  ? 
In  this  honest  toast  you  are  surely  agreed? 
President:  Agreed. 
Chorus  :  Agreed,  agreed;  we  are  all  of  one  mind, 

For  temperate  enjoyment,  our  verdict  we  find. 


1839-]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLII'   HONE.  347 


1839. 

TANUARY  I.  —  The  year  1839  commences  under  more  favour- 
*^  able  auspices.  The  commerce  of  the  country  is  much  im- 
proved ;  such  of  the  merchants  as  have  been  only  sadly  bent  are 
considerably  straightened ;  the  broken  ones  remain  broken ;  for 
myself,  although  not  a  merchant,  I  have  been  a  severe  sufferer 
as  surety  for  others.  There  is  an  awful  change  in  my  circum- 
stances, which  can  never  be  repaired.  I  have  lost  two-thirds  of 
my  fortune,  and  I  have  only  to  call  to  my  aid  philosophy  and  resig- 
nation, and  to  be  thankful  for  the  blessings  I  still  enjoy.  It  is  a 
consolation  that  as  yet  I  have  met  all  my  obligations  honourably, 
and  have  no  reason  to  fear  my  ability  to  continue  to  do  so.  My 
children  shall  inherit  a  good  name  from  their  father ;  they  must 
make  the  most  of  it,  for  I  greatly  fear  it  will  be  their  only  inher- 
itance. 

In  a  political  view  matters  have  improved  during  the  last  year. 
The  elections,  in  the  aggregate,  have  been  favourable  to  the  Whig 
cause.  Parties  in  the  present  House  of  Representatives  are 
equally  balanced.  The  next  will  have  a  majority  of  Whigs,  without 
any  reasonable  doubt.  In  the  State  of  New  York  we  have  a  Whig 
Governor,  and  a  majority  of  about  forty  in  the  House  of  Assembly ; 
but,  unfortunately,  we  are  in  a  minority  in  the  Senate  :  that,  too, 
we  shall  correct  in  the  fall  election.  The  city  for  the  first  time  in 
many  years  will  be  represented  in  the  next  Congress  by  four 
Whigs,  and  the  ]\Iayor  and  a  majority  in  both  branches  of  the 
Common  Council  are  on  the  same  side.  On  the  whole,  we  may 
sing 

"  A  requiem  for  thirty-eight, 
And  a  health  to  thirty-nine." 

January  7.  —  The  club  dined  at  Mr.  Russell's,  Messrs.  Duer  and 
Colt  absent.     We  had,  among  the  supernumeraries,  Mr.  Webster, 


348  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HOXE.  [.Etat.  59. 

who  is  here  on  his  way  to  Washington.  He  was  in  exuberant 
spirits,  and  more  agreeable  than  I  have  seen  him  on  any  former 
occasion.  We  sat  until  eleven  o'clock,  and  broke  up  after  a  grand 
chorus  of  "Auld  Lang  Syne." 

January  28.  —  I  heard  a  capital  sermon  yesterday 
AicVickar  rnoming  in  Trinity  Church,  from  Professor  McVickar, 
of  Columbia  College.  He  does  not  often  treat  us  ;  but 
when  he  does,  it  is  a  treat  indeed.  He  comes  with  a  sermon  well 
prepared,  logical,  learned,  of  the  purest  English,  and  a  style  sur- 
passingly beautiful.  His  voice  is  bad,  and  it  causes  a  little  pain  to 
listen  so  closely  as  is  necessary  for  one  who,  like  myself,  has  not 
the  sharpest  ears  in  the  world,  in  order  that  no  part  should  be  lost 
of  that  which  is  so  well  worth  hearing. 

Take  this  gentleman  for  "  all  in  all,"  he  is  the  loveli- 
'  est  man  I  ever  knew,  and  I  consider  the  intimacy  which 

exists  between  us  one  of  the  greatest  privileges  and 
highest  honours  I  enjoy.  He  has  "  dropt  in  "  frequently  of  late  to 
see  us  ;  last  evening  he  sat  about  an  hour,  cheerful,  playful,  and 
instructive ;  such  a  mixture  of  learning  and  simplicity ;  a  head  so 
sound  and  a  heart  so  light ;  a  conscience  free  from  reproach,  and 
an  imagination  poetical  as  that  of  a  youthful  lover  !  And  this 
man  is  seventy-five  years  of  age.  So  much  for  good  habits,  early 
assumed  and  never  departed  from  ;  industry,  sobriety,  a  course  of 
life  void  of  offence  before  God  and  man ;  an  enthusiastic  love  of 
literature  and  an  habitual  aversion  to  debt,  that  fell  disturber  of 
the  happiness  of  professional  men.  Such  is  James  Kent.  May  he 
live  as  long  as  this  world  and  those  "which  it  inherit  "  shall  con- 
tinue pleasant  to  him  !  As  for  myself,  "  I  wish  that  Heaven  had 
made  vie  such  a  man." 

This  excellent  man,  the  contemporary  and  friend  of 
tep  en    an    james  Kent,  I  now  mention  on  this  page,  not  to  record 

Rensselaer.        -'  '  r   fa    > 

his  living  virtues,  but  to  mourn  his  decease.  He  died 
on  Saturday  last,  at  his  home  in  Albany,  suddenly,  whilst  seated  at 
the  dinner-table.     General  Van  Rensselaer  has  been  better  known 


1839.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  349 

by  the  familiar  and  affectionate  title  of  "The  Patroon,"  —  a  Dutch 
word  to  express  "The  lord  of  the  manor,"  from  his  extensive  patri- 
monial estates.  He  has  held  many  important  civil  and  military 
offices.  He  was  a  Federalist  of  "  the  old  school,"  and  the  candi- 
date of  that  party  on  more  than  one  occasion  for  the  office  of  gov- 
ernor. Few  men  were  more  extensively  known  and  beloved.  Of 
gentlemanly  manners,  one  of  "  the  Lord's  noblemen,"  of  an  amiable 
disposition,  great  benevolence,  and  active  public  spirit.  His  ability 
to  do  good,  which  from  his  great  wealth  was  greater  than  that  of 
most  of  his  fellow-citizens,  was  never  sparingly  exerted  for  the  ben- 
efit of  his  fellow- men,  nor  for  the  promotion  of  the  public  works 
of  the  State.  He  was  closely  identified  with  the  great  Canal  S\'5- 
tem,  and  an  early  and  active  coadjutor  of  DeWitt  Clinton  in  the 
great  work  which  immortalized  him. 

J.'VNUARY  29.  —  My  wife  and  I  dined  with  Mr.  and  IVIrs.  T.  W. 
Ludlow ;  the  party  consisted  of  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abraham  Ogden, 
INIr.  and  Mrs.  Abraham  Schermerhorn,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald 
Oracle,  Oeneral  and  Miss  Tallmadge,  Mr.  Oabriel  Shaw,  Mr. 
William  H.  Harrison,  and  ourselves. 

March    18.  —  We    had   an   uncommonly    ])leasant 
Hone  Club.      dinner  of  the  club  at  Blatchford's, — gay,  jovial,  and 

somewhat  noisy.  This  was  caused  by  the  presence  of 
several  distinguished  and  agreeable  guests :  Mr.  Webster,  Mr. 
Southard,  Mr,  Meredith,  Mr.  Hoffman,  Mr.  Curtis,  Mr.  John  A. 
King,  and  ]Mr.  Young.  We  sat  until  to-morrow  was  near  at  hand. 
March  22.  —  The  rumors  of  war  on  the  north- 
Hard  Times,    eastern  boundary,  —  burn  the  pine  logs  which  have  set 

it  a-going,  —  together  with  the  bank  difficulties  in  the 
Southern  and  Western  States,  occasioned  by  a  premature  resump- 
tion of  specie  payments,  have  caused  another  panic  in  New  York. 
The  blossoms  of  hope  which  had  spnmg  up  in  the  brief  sunshine 
of  confidence  are  again  blighted  by  the  frost  of  suspicion.  The 
pockets  of  rich  men  which  had  opened  a  little  are  now  closely 
buttoned  up,  and  "  No  trust "  is  once  more  the  chilling  maxim  of 


350  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

commercial  dealings.  Stocks  have  fallen  suddenly ;  trade  is  at  a 
stanilstill.  New  York  cannot  collect  her  debts,  and  the  banks  are 
looking  to  their  own  safety.  In  the  mean  time  the  markets  are 
higher  than  ever.  Beef  and  mutton  sell  at  eighteen  to  twenty-five 
cents  a  pound,  and  how  the  poor  man  manages  to  get  a  dinner 
for  his  family  passes  my  comprehension.  Suppose  we"  succeed 
in  turning  out  Van  Buren  and  his  scurvy  pack,  shall  we  be  any 
better  off  ?     Doubtful,  very  doubtful ! 

March  29.  —  I  went,  as  usual,  to  church  this  morn- 
Good  Friday,  ing,  and  afterward  into  Wall  street,  where  the  din  of 
business  drowns  the  sound  of  the  bell's  invitation  to 
worship,  and  the  gravity  of  devotion  is  put  out  of  countenance  by 
the  restless,  anxious  looks  of  speculative  men  of  "  this  world." 
Good  Friday  was  formerly  kept  with  a  considerable  degree  of 
solemnity.  The  banks  and  most  of  the  shops  were  kept  closed, 
and  EpiscopaUans,  especially,  made  it  a  point  to  abstain  from 
business  as  strictly  on  that  day  as  on  the  Sabbath ;  but  it  is  now 
scarcely  observed  at  all.  A  few  "  church  people  "  attend  worship 
in  the  morning  of  the  day,  and  usually  hear  an  excellent  sermon ; 
for  if  there  be  anything  in  the  preacher,  the  sanctity  of  the 
occasion,  and  the  touching  service  of  the  church  for  the  day  can- 
not fail  to  bring  it  ojit ;  but  as  for  the  suspension  of  business,  the 
high  rents  in  Broadway  and  the  deamess  of  the  markets  will  not 
allow  the  shopkeepers  to  lose  a  day. 

March  30.  —  The  monster  no  longer  keeps  guard 
'^■-    '     "^  ^     at  the  mouth  of  his  den.     The  spectre  which  for  so 

Resignation. 

long  a  time  frighted  old  Jackson  "  from  his  propriety," 
and  subsequently  disturbed  the  slumbers  of  his  successor,  is  "  laid 
in  the  Red  Sea ;  "  or,  to  speak  more  to  the  point,  the  undaunted 
opponent  of  arbitrary  power,  and  the  skilful  regulator  of  currency 
and  credit,  has  retired  from  the  field  of  his  triumph  and  his  labours. 
The  resignation  of  Mr.  Biddle  as  a  director  and  the  president  of  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States  is  announced  in  the  papers  of  this  day. 
This  event,  unexpected  here,  and  known  only  to  a  few  friends  in 


iS39.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILII'   IIOXE.  35 1 

Philadelphia,  took  place  yesterday,  in  an  address  to  the  directors. 
He  puts  his  resignation  upon  the  ground  of  a  desire  for  retirement, 
the  necessity  for  which  is  indicated  by  a  delicate  state  of  health, 
which  may  be  attributed  to  most  laborious  exertions  for  twenty 
years  past  in  the  service  of  the  bank.  This  is,  no  doubt,  the  true 
reason,  although  rumor  has  given  out  others,  among  which  is  the 
preposterous  one  of  his  being  called  by  Mr.  Van  Buren  to  the  head 
of  the  Treasury  Department.  A  better  appointment,  certainly,  could 
not  be  made  ;  but  the  President  is  not  in  the  habit  of  doing  magnani- 
mous deeds,  and,  besides,  it  would  not  work  well  for  his  political 
objects.  His  own  party  would  find  it  somewhat  difficult  to  justify  the 
appointment  of  a  man  whom  they  have  been  taught  by  their  mas- 
ters for  the  last  eight  years  to  decry  and  vilify  at  Tammany  Hall, 
and  all  the  outposts  of  the  Loco-foco  army  of  stipendiaries.  Nor 
would  he  get  credit  with  his  political  adversaries  for  honest  inten  ■ 
tions,  or  a  desire  to  promote  the  public  good.  The  public  good  ! 
Fudge  !  What  does  it  mean  ?  The  term  is  often  used  for  purposes 
of  humbug,  but  its  meaning  is  obsolete. 

The  truth  is,  that  Mr.  Biddle  is  a  good  writer,  and  rather  prone 
to  trifle  in  the  flowery  paths  of  poetry ;  and  now  that  he  has  had 
glory  enough  as  a  financier,  it  is  not  unnatural  that  he  should  seek 
for  literary  distinction.  Besides,  he  possesses  a  beautiful  seat  on  the 
banks  of  the  Delaware,  where  there  is  a  miniature  fac-simile  of  the 
monster's  marble  den  in  Chestnut  street ;  and  he  raises  fine  grapes, 
and  gets  a  good  price  for  them  in  the  Philadelphia  market,  and  has 
as  good  a  right  to  enjoy  otiiim  cum  dignitafe  as  anybody  I  know. 

April  5 .  —  Died  on  Tuesday  last,  at  Wilmington,  Delaware, 
Hezekiah  Niles,  the  conductor  of  "  Niles'  Register  "  (the  best 
statistical  publication  and  record  of  national  events  in  this  coun- 
try), and  the  f^ither  of  the  "American  System."  His  name  stood 
high  on  the  A?/-/^  of  private  worth  and  public  service. 

April  8. — Attended  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  vestry  of 
Trinity  Church.  An  application  from  a  committee  of  the  Histori- 
cal Society  for  the  use  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  in  which  to  celebrate 


352  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  59. 

the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Inauguration  of  Washington,  was 
refused  (improperly,  I  think).  Preparations  are  making  by  the 
society  to  have  a  grand  affair  on  this  occasion,  on  the  30th.  Mr. 
John  Quincy  Adams  has  consented  to  deUver  the  oration. 

April    1=;.  —  The   arrival   of  this  packet  has   been 

Arrival  of  "^  ^ 

the  "Great  lookcd  for  with  great  anxiety.  She  sailed  on  March 
Western."  23^  and  arrived  at  twelve  o'clock  last  night,  having 
encountered  on  her  voyage  an  unchanging  series  of  head-winds 
and  severe  gales.  This  is  the  longest  voyage  the  "Great  Western  " 
has  ever  made ;  but  it  proves,  more  than  any  other,  the  advantage 
of  steam  navigation.  Captain  Hoskin  says  that  a  sailing-vessel 
would  not  (with  the  wind  and  weather  he  has  had)  have  been  now 
more  than  three  days  on  her  way  out. 

The  Hone  Club  dined  at  Mr.  Amory's.  All  the  members  were 
present  except  Mr.  Duer,  —  gone  to  Europe.  In  the  number  of 
guests  was  Mr.  Webster,  jovial  and  agreeable  as  usual.  I  think  it 
not  by  any  means  improbable  that  if  a  special  minister  should  be 
appointed  by  the  President,  under  the  act  of  Congress,  to  go  to 
England  about  the  boundary  question,  Mr.  Webster  may  be  the 
man.  He  told  me  that  the  Governor  of  Maine,  the  members  of 
Congress,  and  the  Legislature  of  that  State  had  united  without 
regard  to  party  in  an  application  to  that  effect,  and  I  am  tolerably 
sure  that  he  expects  it. 

April  20.  —  Died  last  evening,  at  Jersey  City,  Colonel  Aaron 
Ogden,  aged  eighty-three  years.  He  was  one  of  the  noble  band 
of  revolutionary  soldiers,  which  is  now  nearly  extinct.  A  fine  old 
American  gentleman ;  but,  like  many  of  his  class,  his  latter  years 
were  sparingly  cheered  by  the  smiles  of  fortune,  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  rely  upon  the  scanty  emoluments  of  the  office  of  collector 
of  the  port,  without  commerce,  of  the  City  of  Jersey. 

April  23.  —  The  frigate  "Constitution,"  the  fine  old 

sides  "   ""       bull-dog  whosc  bark  was  heard  first  in  the  late  war,  is 

now  in  our  harbour,  waiting  to  sail  on  a  cruise,  under 

command  of  Captain  Claxton.     She  lies  at  anchor  in  the  North 


1839]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  353 

river,  off  the  Battery,  in  the  tranquillity  of  strength.  The  "  Mas- 
sachusetts "  steamer,  on  her  return  yesterday  from  the  excur- 
sion to  Sandy  Hook,  passeil  up  the  river  close  to  her,  and  gave 
us  an  opportunity  to  see  this  noble  arm  of  the  naval  power  of 
the  United  States. 

I  went  this  evening  to  the  Artists'    Supper   of  the 
Artists'  National   Academy,    to   which   I   was   invited   as    an 

Supper. 

honorary  member.  This  entertainment  was  given  pre- 
paratory to  the  opening  to-morrow  of  the  spring  exhibition.  The 
number  at  table  was  about  fifty,  with  the  estimable  president,  Mr. 
Morse,  at  the  head,  who  returned  from  Europe  in  the  "  Great 
Western,"  and  myself  in  the  post  of  honour,  at  his  right  hand.  Our 
table  was  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  great  exhibition-room, 
brilliantly  lighted,  and  we  were  surrounded  by  the  beautiful  collec- 
tion of  pictures,  fresh  from  the  easels  of  the  accomplished  artists, 
who  were  partaking  of  the  double  enjoyment  of  the  banquet  before 
them  and  the  well-earned  reputation  derived  from  the  successful 
result  of  their  interesting  labours.  How  insignificant,  in  comparison 
to  these,  would  have  been  the  most  gorgeous  array  of  costly  mirrors, 
luxurious  hangings,  rich  carpets,  and  golden  ornaments  !  These 
are,  indeed,  the  precious  products  of  an  art  the  tendency  of  which 
is  to  refine  the  mind,  enrich  the  imagination,  and  soften  the  heart 
of  man. 

This  will  be  one  of  the  best  exhibitions  of  the  Academy.  It  is 
delightful  to  witness  the  improvement  from  year  to  year  of  the 
young  artists,  the  result  of  study  and  practice  under  the  instruction 
and  from  the  fine  classical  models  of  the  Academy ;  and  the  older 
members  grow  richer  and  more  mellow  as  their  talents  ripen  into 
maturity. 

The  school  of  Mount,  the  American  Wilkie,  appears  to  have 
attracted  many  aspirants  after  the  honours  of  that  class  of  subjects 
in  which  he  excels,  and  they  have  produced  several  capital  things. 
Foremost  in  the  number  stands  two  pictures  by  Mr.  Edmonds,  an 
amateur  painter,  —  one  representing  the  reading  of  a  penny  paper  ; 


354  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  59. 

the  other,  "  Commodore  Trunnion "  and  "  Tom  Pipes,"  from 
"  Roderick  Random,"  both  admirable  ;  indeed,  I  prefer  the  latter 
to  a  new  picture  of  Mount's,  "  The  Rabbit  Trappers,"  which  he 
has  painted  for  Mr.  Charles  A.  Davis. 

I  am  puzzled  to  know  how  Mr.  Edmonds  finds  time,  in  the  midst 
of  his  laborious  occupation  as  cashier  of  the  Leather  Manufacturers' 
Bank,  to  devote  himself  to  an  art  so  foreign  to  his  ordinary  pur- 
suits, and  how,  under  so  great  a  disadvantage,  he  should  have 
arrived  at  such  proficiency. 

Death  of  Gen  ApR[L  24.  —  Mr.  Christopher  Hughes  has  just  heard 
erai  Smith,  of  the  death  of  his  father-in-law.  General  Samuel 
of  Baltimore,  g^^j^j^^^  ^^  Baltimore,  who  died  on  Monday  last,  in  the 
eighty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  His  death  was  remarkable,  and 
such  as  every  old  man  should  desire.  He  had  returned  from  riding, 
lay  upon  the  sofa  to  refresh  himself,  and  was  found  dead  by  a  ser- 
vant who  entered  the  room. 

General  Smith  was  another  of  the  old  revolutionary  officers,  to 
whom  the  country  owes  so  much,  and  pays  so  little.  Happily,  in 
his  case  no  pecuniary  aid  was  requisite  ;  he  was  a  rich  man.  He 
signalized  himself  on  several  occasions  during  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  has  been  almost  constantly  since  in  public  life ;  for 
many  years  a  representative  of  the  State  of  Maryland  in  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States,  frequently  in  the  Legislature  of  that  State,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  Mayor  of  Baltimore,  to  which  latter  office 
he  was  elected  (although  an  administration  man,  unopposed  by  the 
Whigs)  for  his  gallant  conduct  on  a  recent  occasion  when  the 
peace  of  the  city  was  disturbed  by  one  of  those  mobs  to  which 
Baltimore  has  unhappily  been  rather  frequently  exposed. 

April  25.  —  In  the  packet-ship  "  Siddons,"  which  sailed  to-day 
for  Liverpool,  went  passengers,  Mr.  William  Brown  and  wife,  of 
Liverpool ;  their  son,  Mr.  Alexander  Brown,  and  his  wife,  the  daugh- 
ter of  James  Brown,  of  this  city.  These  are  all  partners  or  ad- 
juncts of  the  great  mercantile  houses  of  William  and  James  Brown 
&  Co.,  of  Liverpool,  and  Brown  Brothers  &  Co.,   of  New  York. 


iS39-j  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  355 

The  visit  of  William  Brown  and  his  wife  has  been  very  pleasant. 
They  have  married  their  only  son  to  his  cousin,  and  thereby  keep 
the  cash  from  going  out  of  the  family.  They  have  travelled  a 
great  deal  in  the  United  States,  visiting  last  winter  the  Falls  of 
Niagara,  passed  considerable  time  with  their  friends  here  and  in 
Baltimore,  and  now  return  in  a  fine  ship,  at  the  most  favourable 
season  of  the  year ;  and  in  twenty  days  probably  the  senior  will 
again  be  engaged  in  making  money,  the  junior  in  devising  plans  to 
spend  it,  and  the  ladies  in  telling  their  friends  and  neighbours  "  all 
about  it." 

April  26.  —  General  Scott  has  returned  from  his  last  excursion 
to  the  northern  frontier,  where  he  was  sent  to  set  matters  to  rights 
between  the  loafer  royalists  of  Canada  and  the  loafer  patriots  of 
the  United  States.  I  do  not  know  how  he  has  succeeded,  for  I 
was  not  at  home  when  he  did  us  the  honour  to  call  this  morning. 
The  girls  saw  him,  and  say  he  looks  very  well,  considering  the  labour 
he  has  performed  within  the  last  two  or  three  months,  during  which 
time  he  has  been  constantly  employed  in  the  public  service,  adding 
to  his  military  reno\vn  the  blessings  which  await  the  "  peace- 
maker." In  the  course  of  this  severe  tour  of  duty  he  has  travelled 
(by  land  principally)  forty-seven  hundred  miles.  He  is  now 
"  the  observed  of  all  observers ;  "  and  who  knows  what  he  may 
be  hereafter? 
^  ,  ^     .      ^       April  ^o.  —  The  semi-centennial  celebration  of  the 

Celebration  of  ^ 

the  Historical  Inauguration  of  Washington,  which  took  place  in  this 
Society.  ^j|.y  ^j^  ^^  ^^^  q£  April,  1 789,  was  held  this  day,  and 

went  off  triumphantly.  I  was  one  of  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments, and,  as  the  day  approached,  became  extremely  anxious  and 
nervous,  from  an  apprehension  that  sufficient  interest  had  not  been 
excited,  and  that  the  distinguished  guests  of  the  society  from  other 
States  might  witness  a  failure.  But  my  fears  were  groundless.  It 
could  not  have  been  better. 

The  members  of  the  society  and  invited  guests  assembled  at  the 
City  Hotel,  and  walked  in  procession  to  the  New  Dutch  Church,  in 


356  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

Nassau  street.  The  church  was  filled  on  our  arrival,  and  hundreds 
could  not  obtain  admission,  seats  having  been  reserved  for  the  per- 
sons forming  the  procession.  On  the  stage  erected  in  front  of  the 
pulpit  were  seats  for  the  orator ;  for  Mr.  Stuyvesant,  the  president ; 
for  myself,  vice-president  of  the  society ;  and  for  Judge  Davis,  of 
Massachusetts  ;  Judges  Thompson  and  Betts ;  Rev.  Drs.  DeWitt, 
Knox,  and  Wainwright ;  Governor  Pennington,  of  New  Jersey ;  Mr. 
Southard  and  General  Scott,  The  ceremony  commenced  with  a 
prayer  from  Dr.  Knox,  one  of  the  pastors  of  the  church.  Long, 
dull,  and  inappropriate,  to  which  succeeded  an  ode,  written  for 
the  occasion  by  Mr.  Bryant,  and  sung  by  the  choir  of  the  church 
to  the  sublime  tune  of  Old  Hundred  Psalm.  The  ode,  in  my 
judgment,  is  very  so-so,  considering  it  is  the  production  of  the 
crack  poet  of  New  York. 

Then  came  the  oration,  by  the  venerable  ex-President  of  the 
United  States,  John  Quincy  Adams.  It  was  in  truth  "well  to  be 
there."  It  does  not  often  fall  to  the  lot  of  any  man  to  hear  or 
read  so  masterly  a  production,  eloquent  in  language,  powerful  in 
argument,  refined  in  taste,  glowing  with  patriotism,  and  fraught 
with  instruction.  The  history  of  the  formation  of  the  government, 
of  the  desolate  state  of  public  affairs  in  the  dreary  interval  between 
the  termination  of  the  war  and  the  Declaration  of  Independence ; 
the  violent  and  pertinacious  opposition  of  the  Anti- Federalists 
to  the  new  Constitution ;  and,  finally,  the  glorious  consummation 
of  the  principles  of  the  Revolution  and  the  establishment  of 
liberty  and  peace  by  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution,  the  seal  to 
which  was  affixed  by  the  event  we  were  celebrating.  All  this, 
together  with  some  touching  and  interesting  details  of  events 
attending  the  triumphal  journey  of  Washington,  his  reception  in 
this  city,  and  the  administering  of  the  oath  in  front  of  the  City 
Hall,  —  this  day  fifty  years  ago,  —  were  given  in  a  voice  and  man- 
ner eloquent  and  animated,  but  tremulous  and  feeble.  The  orator 
occupied  a  little  more  than  two  hours  in  reading  it,  and  skipped 
over  many  leaves.     I  am  much  mistaken  if,  when  it  comes  to  be 


IS39.J  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  357 

read,  it  does  not  prove  to  be  one  of  the  most  able  political  papers 
known  in  this  country.  Broad,  old-fashioned,  federal  doctrine, 
strongly  laid  down  and  stoutly  supported,  and  proven  to  have  been 
that  on  which  alone  the  Government  could  be  successfully  formed 
and  happily  maintained. 

The  ceremonies  in  the  church  were  concluded  by  a  tn:ly  apos- 
tolic benediction  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wainwright,  delivered  with  all 
that  fer\'our  and  devotional  solemnity  which  characterizes  my  rever- 
end and  estimable  friend. 

Then  came  the  tug-of-war.  At  five  o'clock  the  sub- 
The  Dinner,  scribers  to  the  dinner  and  the  invited  guests  began  to 
assemble  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  a  few  minutes  before 
six  the  company  were  seated  at  the  table.  I  had  been  dragged 
into  this  affair  somewhat  unwillingly,  for  I  doubted  if  there  was 
patriotic  feeling  enough  in  this  busy,  money-seeking,  interested 
community  to  get  up  and  carry  through  a  thing  of  this  sort,  upon 
abstract  principles  of  patriotism,  without  political  excitement  or 
present  popular  impulse.  There  was  no  danger  about  the  cere- 
monies of  the  church.  Admission  cost  nothing,  and  there  would 
be  naturally  more  or  less  curiosity  to  hear  a  gentleman  whose 
talents  all  acknowledged,  and  whose  public  career  has  been  marked, 
of  late,  with  considerable  eccentricity.  There  was  no  ground  for 
apprehension  on  that  subject.  But  the  dinner  —  the  dinner —  there 
was  the  rub  ;  and  after  inviting  some  twenty  distinguished  guests,  to 
have  failed  there  and  presented  a  beggarly  account  of  empty  seats 
would  have  been  mortifying  indeed.  Impressed  with  these  feel- 
ings I  worked  tolerably  hard,  toward  the  last,  to  avert  *^he  conse- 
quence I  apprehended  ;  but  my  mind  was  never  at  ease  until  the 
hour  of  assembling,  when  I  found  that  all  was  right.  There  was  an 
assemblage  of  first-rate  men,  large  as  the  saloon  of  the  City  Hotel 
could  conveniently  accommodate.  There  were  three  tables  down 
the  length  of  the  room,  each  containing  sixty-two  places,  all  filled, 
besides  the  cross-table  at  the  top,  at  which  were  seated  the  guests 
to  the  number  of  about  eighteen.     Mr.  Stuy\'esant,  the  president, 


358  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.'Etat.  59. 

presided.  I  was  the  first  vice-president,  and  Judge  Betts  and 
Charles  King  the  others. 

The  guests  consisted  of  Mr.  Adams ;  Mr.  Southard,  United  States 
senator  from  New  Jersey ;  Governor  Pennington,  of  Massachusetts ; 
Rev.  Mr.  Day,  of  Connecticut ;  the  delegate  of  the  Historical 
Society  of  Maine ;  Judge  Thompson,  Supreme  Court ;  General 
Scott ;  Commodore  Claxton,  commanding  the  frigate  "Constitution," 
now  in  port ;  Gen.  Morgan  Lewis  ;  Col.  John  Trumbull ;  Rev.  Dr. 
Wainwright,  of  the  Episcopal  Church ;  Rev.  Dr.  DeWitt  and  Dr. 
Knox,  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church ;  Mr.  Grenville  Mellen ; 
Count  Roenne,  Prussian  charge  d'affaires ;  President  Duer,  of 
Columbia  College  ;  besides  which  there  were  present,  as  subscribers, 
all  the  city  judges,  many  eminent  lawyers,  and  distinguished  lit- 
erary men.  A  strong  choir,  consisting  of  Mr.  Charles  E.  Horn,  his 
son,  Mr.  Sinclair,  and  Mr.  Kyle,  sang  fine  old  glees,  and  occa- 
sionally a  solo;  and  performed  Non  nobis,  Domine,  with  great 
solemnity,  immediately  after  Dr.  Wainwright's  eloquent  benedic- 
tion. An  ode  was  also  recited  by  Mr.  Mellen,  which  was  written 
by  him  for  the  occasion.  The  hall  was  decorated  by  Stuart's  fine 
portraits  of  the  first  five  presidents,  the  property  of  Col.  George 
Gibbs,  and  in  front  of  the  orchestra  was  suspended  Pyne's  original 
portrait  of  Washington,  belonging  to  Mr.  Brevoort.  A  transparent 
painting  was  placed  behind  the  president's  chair,  representing  the 
old  Federal  Hall,  formerly  at  the  head  of  Broad  street,  with  the 
ceremony  of  the  inauguration  as  it  was  then  performed.  This  was 
covered  with  a  curtain,  and  was  exposed  to  view  when,  in  the 
course  of  the  proceedings,  the  first  allusion  was  made  to  it. 

Mr.  Adams  replied  to  the  third  toast  in  a  touching  and  eloquent 
speech.  Commodore  Claxton  acknowledged  the  compliment  to 
the  Navy.  Governor  Pennington,  Mr.  Southard,  Judge  Davis,  and 
several  other  gentlemen  addressed  the  company.  The  address  of 
Mr.  Southard  was  particularly  fine;  its  subject,  the  "Judiciary,"  to 
which  important  branch  of  the  government  the  orator  paid  a 
deserved  tribute  of  homage. 


1839]  THE   DIARV   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  359 

After  the  regular  toasts  the  president  called  upon  me  for  a 
volunteer.  I  made  a  speech  in  allusion  to  the  great  events  which 
occurred  on  the  day  we  were  celebrating  within  the  gallery  of 
the  old  Federal  Hall,  the  view  of  which  was  directly  in  front  of 
me,  and  read  some  extracts  from  an  account  of  the  proceedings, 
and  from  the  speech  which  was  then  pronounced  by  Washington,  all 
of  which  I  had  previously  obtained  from  the  "  New  York  Gazette  " 
of  May  I,  1789.  I  also  took  occasion  to  pass  a  compUment  upon 
the  veteran  Governor  Lewis,  now  present,  who  then,  as  Colonel 
Lewis,  commanded  the  troops  who  escorted  the  President  from 
his  lodgings  to  the  hall.  I  concluded  my  speech  by  the  following 
toast,  which  was  well  received  :  "  The  old  Federal  Hall :  it  wit- 
nessed the  greatest  contract  ever  made  in  Wall  street.  It  is  our 
precious  inheritance ;  let  us  ever  remember  that  we,  also,  have  a 
covenant  to  perform."  Thus  ended  brilliantly  the  day  which  I 
had  anticipated  with  painful  misgivings. 

May  I.  —  May  day  is  fine,  pleasant  weather,  much  to  the  com- 
fort of  jaded  wives  and  fretting  husbands.  There  is  a  great  deal 
of  moving  in  the  streets  out  of  Broadway,  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
city,  but  less,  I  think,  than  usual  amongst  the  tenants  of  good 
houses.  But  the  pulling  down  of  houses  and  stores  in  the  lower 
parts  is  awful.  Brickbats,  rafters  and  slates  are  showering  down 
in  every  direction.  There  is  no  safety  on  the  sidewalks,  and  the 
head  must  be  saved  at  the  expense  of  soiling  the  boots.  In  Wall 
street,  besides  the  great  Exchange,  which  occupies  with  huge 
blocks  of  granite  a  few  acres  of  the  highway  of  merchants,  there  is 
the  beautiful  new  Bank  of  the  United  States  opposite,  still  obstruct- 
ing the  walk.  Besides  which,  four  banks  —  the  City,  INIanhat- 
tan,  Merchants',  and  Union  —  are  in  progress  of  destruction  ;  it 
looks  like  the  ruins  occasioned  by  an  earthquake.  The  house  on 
the  corner  of  Broadway  is  undergoing  alteration,  which  usurps  the 
sidewalk.  My  poor,  dear  house,  235  Broadway,  is  coming  down 
forthwith,  and  in  a  few  weeks  the  home  of  my  happy  days  will  bo 
incontinently  swept  from  the  earth.     Farther  up,  at  the  corner  of 


360  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

Chambers  street,  a  row  of  low  buildings  has  been  removed  to  make 
way  for  one  of  those  mighty  edifices  called  hotels,  —  eating,  drink- 
ing, and  lodging  above  and  gay  shops  below ;  and  so  all  the  way 
up ;  the  spirit  of  pulling  down  and  building  up  is  abroad.  The 
whole  of  New  York  is  rebuilt  about  once  in  ten  years. 

May  3.  —  Dined  with  Mr.  William  H.  Aspinwall,  when  I  met 
the  army  and  the  navy,  embodied  in  General  Scott  and  Com- 
mander Claxton,  myself  observing  a  sort  of  amphibious  neutrality 
between  the  two. 

May  6.  —  I  went  on  Saturday  evening  to  a  meeting 
Kent  Club.       of  the  Kent  Club,  at  David  B.  Ogden's. 

These  have  been  pleasant  reunions  throughout  the 
winter.  The  club  consists  of  judges  and  lawyers,  who  meet  and 
sup  at  each  others'  houses  on  Saturday  evenings  in  succession ; 
distinguished  strangers  are  invited,  and  a  few  laymen,  in  which  last 
number  it  has  been  my  good  fortune  to  be  frequently  included.  I 
have  not  always  been  able  to  attend  when  invited,  but  when  I  have, 
the  conversation  of  these  learned  "luminaries  of  the  law"  has 
greatly  instructed  and  delighted  me.  The  evening  is  usually 
divided  equally  between  wisdom  and  joviahty.  Until  ten  o'clock 
they  talk  law  and  science  and  philosophy,  and  then  the  scene 
changes  to  the  supper-table,  where  Blackstone  gives  place  to  Heid- 
sick,  reports  of  champagne  bottles  are  preferred  to  law  reports, 
and  the  merits  of  oyster  pates  and  charlotte-russe  are  alone 
summed  up. 

New  Church  ^  Splendid  church  edifice  has  been  erected  in 
of  the  Broadway,  opposite  Waverly  place,  for  the  congrega- 

tion under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  ]\Ir.  Dewey,  —  Unita- 
rians, who  worshipped  formerly  in  the  church  corner  of  Prince  and 
Mercer  streets,  which  was  burnt  down.  The  new  church  was 
dedicated  on  Thursday  last,  and  there  was  service  in  it  yesterday 
morning  and  evening.  The  congregation  is  very  large,  which,  with 
a  large  number  of  persons  of  other  denominations,  attracted  by 
the  popularity  of  the  preacher  and  the  beauty  of  the  edifice,  occa- 


1839-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILir   HONE.  361 

sioned  a  crowd  sufficient  to  fill  the  church  and  all  the  approaches 
to  it.  The  building  is  of  stone,  with  a  noble  square  tower,  which  is 
conspicuous  the  whole  length  of  Broadway.  The  interior  is  very 
fine,  and  the  arrangement  of  the  pews,  the  pulpit,  and  the  choir 
novel  and  commodious.  The  walls  are  painted  in  fresco,  giving  a 
solemn  religious  aspect  to  this  splendid  temple,  equalled  by  no 
other  in  the  city.  But,  in  fact,  the  architecture  of  the  upper  part 
of  the  city,  both  in  private  and  public  buildings,  is  so  greatly  im- 
proved, that  the  two  extremes  present  an  appearance  as  dissimilar 
as  that  of  the  old  and  the  new  towns  of  Edinburgh. 

May  14.  —  During  my  absence  Governor  Seward 
s^ward?"^  has  been  in  town  for  two  days,  Thursday  and  Fri- 
day. He  came  to  attend  the  anniversary  meeting  of 
the  American  Bible  Society,  where  he  made  a  speech.  He  did  me 
the  honour  to  call  upon  me.  Blatchford  says  that,  in  speaking  of 
me,  he  said  I  was  one  of  the  few  men  in  New  York  to  whom  he 
was  desirous  to  make  the  first  visit.  I  was  invited  to  meet  him  at 
dinner  on  Thursday,  at  Mr.  Amory's.  Neither  the  sport  on  Long 
Island  nor  the  pleasure  of  my  recent  excursion  was  sufficient  to 
compensate  me  for  the  loss  I  sustained  in  not  meeting  my  good 
friend,  the  excellent  Whig  governor. 

May  15. —  Loco-focoism  triumphed  yesterday  in 
ommon  ^j_^^  j-esult  of  their  late  unrighteous  success.     The  new 

Council.  ° 

mayor,  Isaac  L.  Yarian,  was  sworn  into  office  by  his 
"  illustrious  predecessor,"  Aaron  Clark,  who  appears  to  have  per- 
formed the  ceremony  with  an  exceeding  good  grace.  Whether 
the  new  functionary  will  "follow  in  his  footsteps"  is  exceedingly 
doubtful.  This,  however,  is  not  so  bad,  except  so  far  as  it  indi- 
cates the  downfall  of  good  principles  in  the  city  government 
generally,  for  I  think  Mr.  Yarian  the  best  man  of  his  party.  He 
is  an  illiterate  man,  but  honest  and  of  a  strong  mind,  and  will 
discharge  his  duties  well,  if  his  party  will  let  him.  But  he  will 
be  ashamed  sometimes  of  the  shoulders  upon  which  he  has 
ridden  into  office,  and  the  disorderly  proceedings  of  the  mob  in 


362  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [vEtat.  59. 

the  common-council  chamber,  on  the  occasion  of  his  inaugura- 
tion, must  have  given  him  an  unpleasant  foretaste  of  the  charac- 
ters of  his  supporters.  It  was  a  shameful  exhibition  of  riot  and 
blackguardism.  They  rushed  into  the  area  of  the  chamber, 
usurped  the  places  of  the  members,  interrupted  the  proceedings, 
knocked  down  the  officers,  and  even  in  the  sacred  presence  of 
"old  Hays"  himself  didn't  "care  a  damn  for  Uncle  Barnacle." 
The  work  of  destruction  and  the  distribution  of  the  spoils  is 
not  ready,  but  the  knife  will  be  sharpened,  and  the  rewards  of 
faithful  electioneering  services  prepared  against  the  next  meeting. 

May  20. — The  Church  of  the  Messiah  is  all  the 
the°MeTsTah°  f^^hion.  The  crowds  which  attend  it  on  Sunday 
morning  make  our  neighbourhood  exceedingly  gay. 
The  ladies,  in  particular,  pass  by  in  great  numbers,  attracted  by  a 
handsome  new  church,  and  doctrines  somewhat  out  of  the  regular 
track  of  Orthodoxy.  Dr.  Channing,  the  great  apostle  of  Unitari- 
anism,  preached  in  the  morning.  I  promised  my  friend  Grinnell, 
last  evening  at  Hall's,  to  go  and  hear  him ;  but  the  church  was 
filled  at  an  early  hour,  to  the  exclusion  of  thousands.  I  went, 
however,  to  the  evening  service,  and  heard  the  regular  pastor  of 
the  congregation.  Dr.  Dewey,  who  preaches  very  pretty  moral 
sermons. 

May  30.  —  One  hundred  and  sixty-one  lots,  being 
Sale  of  Lots,  part  of  Henry  Eckford's  property  on  Seventh  and 
Eighth  avenues,  and  2 2d,  23d,  and  24th  streets, 
were  sold  to-day  at  auction,  at  very  high  prices.  The  sale 
amounted  to  ^224,045,  being  an  average  of  more  than  ^1,500 
a  lot,  and  a  large  part  of  the  property  remains  unsold. 

Among  the  maritime  exploits  with  which  these 
Iron  steamer,  adveuturous  timcs  abound,  the  arrival,  on  Wednesday 
last,  of  a  little  steam  schooner,  called  the  "  Robert  L. 
Stockton,"  from  England,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable.  She 
sailed  from  Gravesend  on  the  13th  of  April.  She  is  only  ten 
feet  wide  and  seventy  feet  long,  and  her  burthen  is  thirty  tons. 


iS39.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  363 

She  is  built  entirely  of  wrought  sheet-iron,  and  intended  as  a 
towing  vessel  on  the  New  Jersey  canal.  The  commander  is  Cap- 
tain Crane.  She  performed  her  voyage  in  forty-six  days,  with  no 
serious  disaster  except  the  loss  of  one  seaman,  v,-ho  was  washed 
off  this  little  cockle-shell  by  one  of  the  seas  which  were  con- 
stantly sweeping  her  decks.  Never,  I  presume,  was  the  western 
ocean  crossed  in  so  small  a  craft.  There  was  not  room  enough 
to  lie  straight  nor  to  stand  erect.  This  little  vessel  lies  near  the 
Eattery,  and  is  visited  by  hundreds  of  curious  persons,  anxious  to 
realize  the  possible  truth  of  the  nursery  story  about  the  "  three 
men  of  Gotham"  who  "  went  to  sea  in  a  bowl." 
.    .    ,   ^  Tune  i  .  —  This  most  fortunate  of  all  steamers  ar- 

Arnval  of  •' 

the  "  Great  lived  here  last  night.  She  sailed  from  Bristol  on  her 
Western."  regular  day,  the  i8th  of  May,  making  her  passage  in 
thirteen  days,  —  the  shortest  western  passage  ever  yet  accomplished. 
Captain  Hoskin,  whom  I  saw  in  Wall  street  this  morning,  says 
their  voyage  was  delightful.  One  of  our  North-river  steamboats 
could  have  made  it  in  the  same  time,  and  as  pleasantly. 

This  seems  to  be  incredible.  I  turn  back  a  few  leaves  of  this 
journal,  and  find  there,  that  on  the  2  2d  day  of  April,  just  thirty-nine 
days  ago,  we  accompanied  the  "  Great  Western "  to  sea.  Four 
days  previously  Mr.  Pontois  dined  with  us,  and  this  morning  I 
shake  hands  with  the  captain,  and  have  the  account  of  the  minis- 
ter's arrival.  On  my  way  to  market  this  morning  I  met  A\'allack. 
It  is  exactly  six  weeks  since  I  saw  him  act  at  his  farewell  benefit, 
since  which  he  has  been  to  England,  engaged  performers,  made 
all  his  arrangements  for  a  theatrical  campaign  at  the  National 
Theatre,  spent  several  days  with  his  family,  and  here  he  is  again, 
kissing  the  ends  of  his  fingers  to  me  in  Broadway  before  nine 
o'clock.  I  knew  he  was  a  passenger  on  board  the  "  Great 
Western,"  recognized  him  through  the  disguise  of  a  new  pair  of 
moustaches,  but  in  the  realization  of  the  whole  thing  I  was  in- 
clined to  doubt  the  evidence  of  my  senses.  The  steamer  is  full 
of  passengers,  —  about  one  hundred  and  ten,  —  and  in  the  number 


364  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.€tat.  59. 

are  several  of  our  friends  and  acquaintances :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  H. 
Pendleton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Douglas  Cruger,  Mr.  Thorn  and  his  son 
Herman,  John  Van  Buren,  and  George  Parish. 

June  6.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us:  Mr.  Rob- 
ert Gilmor,  Jonathan  Meredith,  Herman  Thorn,  Robert  Ray, 
Henry  Brevoort,  and  William  H.  Aspinwall. 

June  18. —  I  went  out  yesterday  with  my  wife  and  daughter  to 
dine  with  my  old  friends,  the  Lydigs,  at  West  Farms,  and  had  truly 
a  delightful  day.  The  beautiful  grounds  on  the  Bronx  river  are 
in  fine  order ;  such  a  profusion  of  roses  and  other  flowers  I  have 
scarcely  ever  seen.  We  had  an  excellent  dinner  :  Lydig's  fine  old 
wine  and  abundance  of  delicious  strawberries,  with  a  welcome 
hearty  as  the  one,  and  u;istinted  as  the  other.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Suydam,  with  some  of  their  family,  were  of  the  party.  Lydig  and 
Suydam  are  both  in  indifferent  health,  and  the  latter  dreadfully 
hipped,  and  prone  to  water-drinking.  But  our  gossipings  about  old 
times,  the  good  cheer  and  lovely  scenery,  set  the  old  gentlemen  on 
their  legs  for  the  time  being,  and  both,  I  am  persuaded,  went  to 
bed  better  than  they  have  been  for  a  twelvemonth.  So  much  for  the 
innocent  enjoyments  which  this  world,  bad  as  we  think  it,  affords. 
June  24,  —  The  state  of  the  markets  in  Europe  for 
otton  an  ^j^^  ^^^^  great  products  of  the  South  and  West,  as  re- 
ported by  the  arrival  of  the  "  Great  Western,"  has  pro- 
duced a  state  of  things  in  our  commercial  world  of  Wall  street  and 
elsewhere,  disastrous  and  gloomy  almost  as  that  of  the  great  crisis 
three  years  ago.  Flour  has  fallen  three  dollars  a  barrel,  and  cotton 
has  become  a  drug  in  the  hands  of  the  holders.  The  quantity  on 
hand  of  both  these  great  articles  is  unusually  large,  owing  to  the 
rapacity  of  the  producers  and  the  speculators,  who,  not  satisfied 
with  regular  business  and  moderate  profits,  must  try  to  get  rich  in 
a  single  year.  Now  many  of  the  millers  and  cotton-planters  are 
ruined,  and  their  factors  here  have  suffered  severely.  The  natural 
consequence  of  all  this  is  a  recurrence  of  dreadfully  hard  times. 
The  jobber  cannot  collect  his  debts  nor  sell  his  goods ;  the  capital- 


I839-]  THE    DIAKV    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  365 

ist  gripes  his  money  with  the  hand  of  death  ;  confidence  is  again  at 
an  end.  Stocks  are  low,  and  ordinary  beef  is  selling  from  eighteen 
to  twenty-one  cents  per  pound. 

June  30.  —  Feeling  a  little  in  want  of  exercise,  I  crossed  the 
Christopher-street  ferry  to  Hoboken,  this  afternoon,  walked  on  the 
beautiful  bank  to  the  Elysian  Fields,  and  found  a  shady  spot  to 
smoke  a  cigar  and  read  "  Childe  Harold." 

July  3.  —  Mr.  Van  Buren,  agreeably  to  previous  ar- 
Arrnrai  o  rangemcnt,  arrived  in  New  York  on  Tuesday.  The  party 
have  made  the  most  they  could  of  this  event.  There  was 
a  great  military  parade.  His  arrival  was  anticipated  by  commit- 
tees who  met  him  on  the  way.  The  Loco-foco  corporation,  united 
to  the  faithful  of  Tammany  Hall,  received  him  at  Castle  Garden. 
Mr.  Edmonds,  formerly  of  the  Senate,  an  office-holder  under  the 
government,  addressed  him  ;  and  his  reply,  confirming  all  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  abominable  sub- treasury  project,  was  received  with 
shouts  by  his  partisans.  The  military  parade  was  very  imposing ; 
but,  besides  that,  it  does  not  appear  that  there  was  much  to  gratify 
his  feelings,  if  he  estimates  at  their  true  value  the  unbought  atten- 
tions of  gentlemen  and  honest  men. 

July  9.  —  I  called  yesterday  morning  and  paid  my  respects  to 
the  President,  at  his  quarters  in  Washington  Hall.  He  left  this 
morning  to  visit  \lx.  Hunter  at  Westchester,  Washington  Irving  and 
Governor  Kemble  on  the  North  river,  and  after  these  and  other  visits 
to  his  friends,  and  an  affectionate  recognition  of  Kinderhook,  the 
town  that  claims  the  honour  of  being  his  birthplace,  he  intends  to 
pass  a  few  weeks  at  Saratoga,  where  the  faithful  will,  no  doubt,  be 
summoned  to  meet  and  render  homage  to  him.  During  the  Presi- 
dent's stay  in  New  York  he  has  visited  most  of  the  public  places 
in  the  constant  custody  of  a  set  of  men  who  are  not  (unless  he  has 
greatly  changed)  the  sort  of  folks  he  would  have  chosen  for  his 
associates ;  but  party  politics,  like  poverty,  bring  men  "  acquainted 
with  strange  bedfellows."  Moxie  told  me  that  he  saw  him  the 
other  evening  at  the  Bowery  Theatre,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ming,  a 


366  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.59. 

fellow  called  Riall,  and  a  young  lawyer  who  had  been  discharged 
from  the  office  of  Davis  for  dishonesty.  The  old  Republicans  either 
choose  to  stand  aloof,  or  are  not  allowed  by  the  Loco-foco  rabble, 
who  have  gotten  possession  of  his  person,  to  approach  too  near, 
lest  they  might  do  something  to  lessen  their  own  influence.  As 
President  of  the  United  States  he  was  entitled  to,  and  would  have 
received,  the  attentions  of  men  of  all  parties ;  but  as  he  has  avowed 
that  his  visit  was  intended  for  his  own  political  friends,  and  has 
consigned  himself  to  the  care  of  the  worst  part  of  that  clique,  it  is 
well  to  let  them  retain  possession  of  him.  "  As  he  has  baked,  so 
let  him  brew." 

July  10.  —  My  wife,  my  daughter,  and  I  passed  a  delightful  day 
at  Gardiner  G.  Rowland's,  at  Flushing.  Rowland's  noble  farm  is 
in  superb  order.  The  teeming  earth  groans  under  the  weight  of 
the  golden  harvest,  and  the  whole  face  of  Nature  smiles  with  the 
prospect  of  abundance  which  she  is  about  dispensing  to  mankind. 
Oh,  if  the  farmer  would  be  satisfied  with  his  crops,  the  merchant 
with  regular  gains,  the  fruit  of  moderate  enterprise,  and  the  profes- 
sional man  with  the  exercise  of  his  legitimate  talents,  and  all  of 
them  keep  clear  of  extravagant  speculation,  how  much  more  happy 
and  independent  we  should  be  ! 

July  16.  —  We  are    here   located   (as  we   Yankees 
ara  oga  have  it)  at  the  United  States  Rotel,  and  no  watering- 

Springs.  '  ^  o 

place  in  this  or  any  other  country  can  boast  of  a  pleas- 
anter  establishment,  or  one  better  conducted.  We  have  a  suite  of 
two  parlours  and  four  bedrooms,  in  the  delightful  south  wing.  Sev- 
eral additional  buildings  have  been  erected  since  the  last  season, 
and  the  ground  laid  out  in  a  well-mowed  and  well-rolled  lawn,  and 
clean  gravel  walks.  A  large  club-house  and  two  cottages,  in  an  ex- 
ceedingly pretty  style  of  architecture,  add  to  the  beauty  of  the 
grounds  and  the  comfort  of  the  visitors.  On  the  whole,  there  has 
never  been  accommodation  so  good  at  Saratoga. 

The  house  is  nearly  full,  but  as  yet  not  many  of  my  intimate 
acquaintances  have  made  their  appearance.     My  excellent  friend, 


i839.]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLlP   HONE.  367 

Mr.  Bradish,  the  lieutenant-governor,  left  Saratoga  this  morning 
much  to  my  regret.  Governor  Seward  will,  however,  be  here  in  a 
few  days,  and  Mr.  Clay  is  expected  on  his  return  from  Quebec. 
With  such  auxiliaries  the  Whigs  will  hold  up  their  heads  "  sky 
high,  sky  high,  Mr.  Speaker."  The  President  was  expected  at  the 
United  States ;  but  it  is  said  that  he  will  go,  on  his  arrival,  to  the 
Pavilion.  We  are  not  Loco-foco  enough  for  him,  or  perhaps  not 
genteel  enough  ;  for  it  has  been  proved  lately  that  he  mingles  with 
none  but  choice  spirits,  and  holds  communion  only  with  Riall  gen- 
tlemen. Apropos  of  puns  :  approaching  a  little  knot  in  the  drawing- 
room  this  evening,  I  overheard  Mr.  Mead  saying,  "  If  a  man  had 
five  hundred  wives,  so  and  so."  "What  do  you  think,"  said  St. 
Clair  Clarke,  "  of  a  man  with  five  hundred  wives,  Mr.  Hone  ?  " 
"Why,  I  think,"  I  replied,  "  he  must  be  a  haretn-scarem  fellow." 

July  17.  —  The  papers  give  a  gloomy  account  of  commercial 
affairs  in  New  York,  which  is  confirmed  by  the  reports  of  our  New 
York  visitors.  Business  is  dull,  stocks  low,  and  money  scarce. 
All  are  looking  with  anxiety  for  the  arrival  of  the  great  new 
steamer,  the  "  British  Queen,"  while  none  expect  favourable  news 
by  her.  As  a  set-off  against  all  these  evil  influences,  the  accounts 
of  the  crops  in  every  part  of  the  country  are  extremely  cheering ; 
people  from  all  parts  of  the  Union  are  here,  and  all  agree  that  the 
prospects  of  great  crops  have  in  no  former  season  been  exceeded. 
The  State  of  Michigan,  which,  two  or  three  years  ago,  bought  all  the 
flour  she  used,  will  have  this  year  a  surplus  for  sale  of  a  million  and 
a  half  bushels  of  wheat.  I  do  not  know  what  political  economists 
may  say  to  this,  but  it  does  appear  to  me  that  good  must  come 
of  it. 

July  19.  —  A  ball  this  evening,  but  I  do  not  think  it  was  as 
pleasant  as  the  hop  on  Wednesday  evening.  I  officiated  as  mana- 
ger, with  Colonel  McAllister,  Messrs.  Wilson,  Stockton,  Tevis,  etc. 
The  balls  are  understood  to  require  more  dressing,  and  a  greater 
degree  of  etiquette  prevails,  so  that  the  young  ladies  do  not  engage 
in  them  with  so  great  avidity  as  in  the  hops ;  but,  on  the  other 


368  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

hand,  there  are  champagne,  and  ice-cream,  and  blancmange,  whose 
agreeable  presence  is  confined  to  the  most  dignified  of  these 
amusements. 

An  extract  from  a  St.  Louis  newspaper  states  that 
Buffaloes.  the  hunters  had  come  in  with  twenty-four  thousand 
buffalo-robes  and  a  quantity  of  beaver,  worth  altogether 
$100,000.  Twenty- four  thousand  buffaloes  !  what  a  sublime  idea 
for  any  man  who  has  ever  seen  a  buffalo  or  a  drawing  of  one, 
or  heard  him  described ;  only  imagine  a  drove  of  twenty- four 
thousand  oxen  —  but  the  imagination  cannot  keep  pace  with  the 
magnificent  scale  on  which  the  works  of  nature  are  represented  in 
the  regions  of  the  great  West.  I  suppose  that  immense  number 
of  huge  living  animals  would  look  on  the  prairies  like  a  flock  of 
sheep  on  Hempstead    Plains. 

July  23.  —  The  "  Great  Western  "  arrived  at  New  York  yester- 
day, having  sailed  from  Bristol  on  the  6th.  The  movements  of 
this  fine  vessel  have  gotten  to  be  as  regular  as  the  rising  and  setting 
of  the  sun,  or  the  flux  and  reflux  of  the  tide.  She  brings  intelli- 
gence quite  as  bad  for  the  commercial  world  as  was  anticipated. 
Cotton  has  fallen,  American  stocks  a  drug,  and  the  rate  of  bank 
interest  five  and  a  half  per  cent.,  and  about  to  be  raised  to  six. 
The  United  States  of  America,  by  the  grace  of  God,  free  and  inde- 
pendent as  they  vaunt  themselves,  have,  by  a  course  of  extravagant 
speculations,  aided  by  bad  management  of  the  government,  and  the 
indulgence  of  personal  spite  of  "  the  Greatest  and  Best,"  brought 
themselves  into  a  state  of  thraldom  to  their  old  masters  nearly  as 
great  as  that  which  existed  previous  to  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. All  we  undertake  to  do  is  predicated  on  the  chance  of 
borrowing  money  from  John  Bull.  We  try  to  borrow  so  much,  that 
the  credit  even  of  the  State  stocks  is  impaired.  Cotton,  the  only 
thing  we  have  to  pay  with,  is  placed  at  the  mercy  of  the  creditors, 
and  the  Bank  of  England  becomes  the  arbiter  of  the  fate  of  the 
American  merchant.  All  this  comes  from  the  rage  for  speculation 
here ;  the  desire  to  grow  rich  in  a  short  time,  which  incites  the 


1839-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HOXE.  369 

growers  of  cotton  and  flour,  instead  of  selling  at  a  fair  price  the 
bounties  of  God's  providence,  to  hoard  them  up.  By  and  by 
comes  "  a  frost,  a  killing  frost,"  and  then  the  planter  loses  the 
product  of  many  years  of  regular  cultivation,  his  factor  is  ruined 
by  liberal  advances,  and  every  department  of  business  suffers  from 
the  shock. 

July  24.  —  Every  house  is  well  filled.  It  is  com- 
Saratoga.  puted  that  there  are  two  thousand  visitors  at  the  place 
at  the  present  time.  At  Congress  Hall  and  this  house 
there  are  many  distinguished  men  and  fine  women;  antiquated 
belles  of  a  by-gone  generation,  enjoying  with  gayety  and  cheerful- 
ness the  scenes  of  their  former  triumphs ;  fine  married  women  and 
lovely  girls,  the  ornaments  of  the  present  and  the  hopes  of  the 
future ;  and  men  uniting  as  in  one  brilliant  focus  the  talent,  intelli- 
gence, and  civic  virtues  of  the  various  parts  of  the  country. 

July  29.  —  The  long-expected  steam-packet,  the 
e      ri  IS     ^^  jjritish  Queen,"  arrived  in  New  York,  on   her  first 

Queen."  ^  '  ' 

voyage  from  Portsmouth,  yesterday  morning.  One  of 
her  passengers  came  here  this  morning  in  the  first  train  of  cars. 
This  is  certainly  doing  business  in  great  style.  This  gentleman  left 
England  only  three  days  before  we  left  home  for  this  place,  and 
what  have  I  done  in  that  time  ?  Events  now  pass  like  the  shadows 
of  a  magic  lantern.  The  "British  Queen "  sailed  on  the  12th. 
She  is  commanded  by  Captain  Roberts,  formerly  of  the  "  Sirius," 
the  Columbus  of  steam,  who  first  of  British  steam- men  reached  our 
shores.  She  is  the  largest  steamer  ever  built,  being  of  the  follow- 
ing dimensions:  Length  from  figure-head  to  taffrail,  275  feet; 
length  of  upper  deck,  245  feet ;  breadth  within  the  paddle-boxes, 
40  feet  7  inches ;  breadth  including  the  boxes,  64  feet ;  her  engine 
is  of  500-horse  power;  burthen,  2,016  tons.  The  "British 
Queen"  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  28th.  Her  log  is  published. 
She  had  head-winds  all  the  way.  Her  greatest  distance  in  one  day 
was  two  hundred  and  forty  miles ;  the  least,  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles. 


3/0  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  59. 

July  30. — Webb,  of  the  "Courier  and  En- 
Mr.  Webster,  quirer,"  came  passenger  in  the  "  British  Queen."  He 
went  out  in  the  "  Great  Western  "  on  the  13th  of  June, 
and  has  been  absent  only  forty-five  days.  Colonel  Webb  says  that 
Mr.  Webster  is  the  greatest  lion  they  have  had  in  England,  with 
the  exception  of  Marshal  Soult,  since  the  visit  of  the  allied  sover- 
eigns. He  has  not  breakfasted  or  dined  at  his  lodgings  since  his 
arrival  in  London.  A  great  public  dinner  is  preparing  for  him  in 
Liverpool,  as  the  friend  of  commerce  throughout  the  world.  At 
this  banquet,  which  is  to  be  attended  by  great  numbers  of  the 
nobility  and  gentry,  it  was  expected  that  "  the  defender  of  the 
Constitution"  would  come  out  with  his  heaviest  guns. 

July  31.  —  My  daughter  and  I  visited  Her  Majesty 
The  "  Britis     ^^^  aftcmoon,  where  she  is  lying  in  state  at  the  foot  of 

Queen."  '  jo 

Clinton  street ;  but  God  forbid  that  either  she  or  her 
royal  godmother  should  be  defunct ;  far  from  it,  for  such  a  scene  of 
hfe,  bustle,  and  animation  in  and  about  her  is  not  often  witnessed. 
This  is  only  the  third  working  day  since  her  arrival,  and  she  is 
preparing  and  will  sail  to-morrow  in  company  with  the  "  Great 
Western,"  which  lies  quietly  alongside  of  her.  It  will  be  a  trial  of 
speed,  and  prodigious  interest  is  excited  in  the  result.  The  friends 
of  both  are  sanguine  of  success,  and  the  death-like  dulness  of  Wall 
street  is  somewhat  relieved  by  the  betting  on  the  race. 

We  were  admitted  on  board,  although  the  wharf  was  filled  with 
persons  who  were  excluded,  and  we  saw  every  part  of  this  levia- 
than of  steam.  Her  cabin  is  superbly  fitted  up,  and  the  staterooms 
adjoining  it  are  convenient  and  pleasant  as  possible ;  but  the  sleep- 
ing apartments  below  are  dark  and  confined,  and  I  doubt  whether 
the  whole  amount  of  good  sleeping  accommodations  is  equal  to 
that  of  the  "  Great  Western."  The  scene  on  deck  was  a  "perfect 
show :  "  discharging  in  one  place  and  receiving  and  stowing  cargo 
in  another ;  boxes  and  barrels  of  stores ;  cart-loads  of  fresh  meat ; 
great  lumps  of  ice,  and  George  Haws,  with  his  pleasant,  red  face, 
reeking  with  perspiration,  employed  in  stowing  it  away ;  mountains 


1839]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  371 

of  coal  sinking  into  the  crater  of  the  lower  hol;l ;  live  cows  and 
poultry  wondering  what  part  of  the  pandemonium  is  intended  for 
them  ;  sentinels  employed  in  the  unthankful  office  of  keeping  back 
disappointed  visitors ;  and  officers  more  agreeably  engaged  in 
doing  the  gcntccl  thing  by  our  more  favoured  selves. 

^^'hcn  the  committee  of  glorification  were   making 
ovcrnor         arrangements  to  receive  the  President  as    the    chief  of 

beware.  " 

their  party,  a  note  was  addressed  to  Governor  Seward  at 
Albany,  to  come  to  New  York  and  join  the  procession.  This  he 
declined  in  a  letter,  which  the  Loco-focos  stigmatized  as  insulting 
and  disrespectful,  but  which  they  refused  to  publish,  although 
urged  by  the  Whigs  to  do  so.  Their  taunts  all  proving  unavailing, 
the  Young  Men's  General  Committee  applied  formally  to  the  Gov- 
ernor for  a  copy  of  the  correspondence,  which  he  furnished,  and 
which  is  now  published.  The  letter  is  long,  and  my  time  is  insuffi- 
cient to  copy  it,  as  I  would  wish  ;  but  it  is  admirable.  The  Whigs 
have  reason  to  be  proud  of  their  man.  I  never  read  anything 
more  "germane  to  the  matter."  Soft  as  silk,  but  cutting  as  a 
razor ;  manly  in  sentiment,  but  courteous  in  manner,  —  it  is  no 
wonder  they  refused  to  let  it  see  the  light.  I  am  proud  of  the 
noble  little  Whig  governor,  and  feel  honoured  in  being  allowed 
to  call  him  friend. 

August  i.  —  The  "  Great  Western  "  and  the  "  Brit- 
ai  in^  o  t  e   j^j^  Qucen  "  Went  to  sea  this  morning,  as  well  as  the 

Steamships.  ^  °' 

packets  for  London,  Liverpool,  and  Havre,  all  filled 
with  passengers.  The  crowds  which  lined  the  wharves  and  the 
Battery  were  greater  than  on  any  former  similar  occasion.  I  went 
to  Castle  Garden  to  see  the  two  noble  steamships  ;  but  as  I  could 
not  see  through  my  countrymen,  and  more  particularly  country- 
women, I  had  an  imperfect  view.  The  "  Great  Western  " 
preceded  the  "  British  Queen  "  about  an  hour.  The  weather  was 
very  fine,  and  tlie  water  as  well  as  the  shores  presented  a  lively  and 
animated  scene.  Giving  the  "  Queen  "  sixteen  days'  passage,  she 
will  have  mad^  her  voyage  out  and  home  to  Portsmouth  in  thirty- 


3/2  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

six  days,  l^ringing  out  nearly  two  hundred  passengers  and  returning 
with  one  hundred,  discharging  one  cargo  and  taking  on  board 
another.  Go  ahead !  is  the  impulse  which  now  governs  the 
world. 

AuGUSi'  2.  —  The  times  are  worse  than  ever.  Wall  street  is  in 
a  state  of  consternation  ;  money  uncome-at-able  and  confidence  at 
an  end.  A  national  bank  is  the  only  remedy  (if,  indeed,  things 
have  not  gone  too  far).  That,  with  a  change  of  the  administration, 
are  the  only  straws  we  have  to  catch  at.  Let  us  try  them,  unless 
the  people  are  determined  to  complete  the  ruin  which  hangs  over 
them.     If  they  are,  so  be  it ! 

Saratoga.  —  In  the  number  of  arrivals  during  my 
The  President,  absence  is  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  Mr. 
Secretary  Forsyth,  with  Mr.  Edward  P.  Livingston  and 
a  few  others  of  the  faithful.  The  President  was  met  some  distance 
from  the  village  by  a  cavalcade,  and  followed  to  his  quarters  in  the 
United  States  Hotel  by  a  motley  group.  The  Whigs  say  it  was  a 
slim  concern,  and  the  Locos  say  otherwise.  But  here  he  is,  con- 
ducting himself  with  his  usual  politeness,  and  making  the  best  of 
everything,  as  he  is  wont  to  do.  I  called  upon  him  yesterday, 
immediately  after  my  arrival,  and  was  most  graciously  received. 
He  hoped  I  would  pass  an  occasional  spare  half-hour  in  his 
apartment.  He  has  been  civil  to  my  wife,  and  sends  his  bottle  to 
her  and  me  to  drink  with  him  at  dinner.  I  have  studied  to  treat 
him  with  all  the  respect  due  to  his  high  station,  and  the  regard  I 
feel  for  an  old  friend,  and  I  acknowledge  the  kindness  with  which 
my  advances  have  been  received.  This  conduct  has  been  pursued 
by  most  of  the  gentlemen,  political  opponents  as  well  as  political 
adherents  ;  but  there  has  been  one  exception,  on  the  part  of  a 
lady,  which,  in  my  judgment,  was  equally  at  variance  with  good 
taste  and  proper  feeling. 

August  6,  —  The  President  takes  the  head  of  one  of  the  tables, 
and  the  modest  Mr.  Bennett,  of  the  "  Herald,"  the  other.  The 
President  cannot  help  this,  to  be   sure,  and  the  juxtaposition  is 


1839]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  373 

somewhat  awkward.  Bennett  will  make  a  great  thing  of  this  with 
those  who  are  not  aware  that  any  person  may  take  this  seat  who 
has  impudence  enough,  and  that  it  would  require  a  pretty  smart 
rifle  to  carry  a  ball  from  one  end  of  the  table  to  another.  I  wish 
the  President  would  leav^e  his  seat,  and  give  the  "  Herald  "  man 
all  the  honours  of  the  table. 

August  7. —  The  village  is  alive  w-ith  preparations 
Mr.  Clay.  for  Mr.  Clay's  reception.  I  received  a  letter  from 
him,  dated  Montreal,  4th  inst.,  and  another  by  a 
messenger  who  was  sent  hence  to  confer  with  him,  dated  on  his 
voyage  to  Burlington,  6th  inst.  He  is  to  lodge  at  Lake  George 
to-morrow  night,  and  will  come  to  Saratoga  on  Friday  afternoon, 
where  apartments  are  provided  for  him  at  the  United  States  Hotel. 
A  programme  of  his  reception  is  published,  signed  by  a  committee 
of  more  than  one  hundred  Whigs.  We  wished  to  repress  this 
public  demonstration,  but  it  could  not  be.  The  movement  is 
spontaneous,  and  the  people  seem  to  be  determined  to  out-glorify 
the  other  party. 

The  Whig  visitors  at  Congress  Hall  have  been  in  a  ferment 
about  the  impropriety  of  bringing  Mr.  Clay  in  contact  with  his 
great  rival  at  the  United  States  Hotel.  Conferences  have  been 
had  and  disputes  held  on  the  subject ;  but  the  difficulty  is  removed 
by  the  President's  determination  to  leave  Saratoga  on  Friday.  He 
is  to  dine  with  the  young  Loco-focos  at  Ballston,  and  go  to  Troy,  to 
be  received  there  by  his  friends  on  the  same  evening,  and  will  not 
return  until  the  first  of  next  week.  This  may  be  accidental ;  but  it 
is  a  happy  coincidence  for  us,  and  I  am  mistaken  if  we  do  not 
model  something  handsome  out  of  this  Clay. 

August  9. — The  day  was  ushered  in  by  clouds  and 
^J^       rain,  thunder  and  lightning  :  but  all  passed  awav,  and 

Arrival.  '  ^  a  ?  r 

the  glorious  sun  shone  out  by  eight  o'clock  and  dis- 
persed the  vapours  from  the  natural,  as  we  trust  the  man  who  comes 
among  us  will  those  from  the  political,  horizon. 

Secretary  Forsyth  took  away  his  discontented  countenance  last 


374  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  59. 

evening,  and  Secretary  Poinsett  went  this  morning  to  Cattaraugus 
on  business  relating  to  the  Indian  Treaty.  The  President  also 
went  back  to  Ballston,  and  thence  to  Troy. 

Arrangements  having  been  made  for  a  number  of  the  visitors  to 
meet  Mr.  Clay  on  his  approach  to  Saratoga,  a  large  number,  on 
horseback  and  in  carriages,  left  the  village  at  eleven  o'clock,  and 
went  to  Emerson's  Tavern,  nine  miles  on  the  Glenn's  Falls  road. 
In  less  than  half  an  hour  he  arrived,  accompanied  by  committees 
from  Caldwell  and  Glenn's  Falls ;  and  after  our  salutations  we  sat 
down  to  a  collation,  prepared  under  direction  of  Colonel  Westcott, 
and  served  up  in  rather  homely,  but  hearty  style.  Provisions  had 
been  sent  out  in  the  morning  from  Saratoga,  and  champagne  was 
taken  by  the  gentlemen.  The  company,  which  consisted  of  seventy 
or  eighty,  comprised  many  bright  spirits  and  distinguished  men.  I 
had  the  honour  of  presiding  at  the  feast,  and  it  is  certain  that  we 
made  the  most  of  the  time  allowed  us. 

At  three  o'clock  we  left  Emerson's,  and  came  to  a  place  two 
miles  in  advance  of  the  Springs,  where  the  carriages,  wagons, 
horsemen,  and  pedestrians  who  were  to  form  the  procession  were 
collected  to  receive  us.  Mr.  Clay  was  placed  in  a  new  barouche, 
drawn  by  Gerald  Coster's  four  gray  horses ;  the  other  seats  occu- 
pied by  Judge  Walton  and  two  other  gentlemen  of  the  Saratoga 
committee  on  arrangements.  The  line  of  march  was  then  taken 
up,  preceded  by  Frank  Johnson's  band  of  music ;  and  such  a  cav- 
alcade was  never  seen  before  in  the  county  of  Saratoga.  It  formed 
a  compact  line  a  mile  and  a  half  long.  I  rode  in  a  barouche  with 
Dr.  Duncan,  of  Mississippi,  Mr.  Green,  of  Louisiana,  and  Reverdy 
Johnson,  of  Baltimore.  Our  approach  was  announced  by  the  dis- 
charge of  artillery  from  the  hills,  and  the  line  of  march  preserved 
until  we  came  to  the  United  States  Hotel,  where  quarters  were  pre- 
pared for  "  the  man  whom  the  people  delight  to  honour."  Here 
the  avenues  to  the  hotel  were  blocked  up  with  the  expecting 
crowds,  who  made  the  village  ring  with  shouts  of  welcome.  The 
large  piazza  in  front  of  the  hotel  was  filled  with  ladies,  for  whose 


1S39.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   IIOXE.  375 

exclusive  use  it  had  been  reserved.  It  had  been  arranged  that  the 
address  should  be  made,  and  the  reply  received,  from  the  steps  of 
the  hotel ;  but  this  was  rendered  impracticable  by  the  crowd,  and 
the  horses  were  taken  out  and  the  barouche  dragged  around  in 
front.  Here  Mr,  Clay  was  addressed  by  Mr.  John  W.  Taylor,  for- 
merly Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  replied  in  a 
speech  to  the  assembled  multitude  of  more  than  an  hour ;  too 
long,  I  thought,  for  the  occasion,  and  entering  too  much  into  polit- 
ical detail;  but  I  suppose  it  was  unavoidable.  The  towns- people 
had  the  regulation  of  this  part  of  the  ceremony,  and  they  were  not 
disposed  to  let  the  opportunity  be  lost  to  the  people  of  hearing  an 
account  of  the  misdeeds  of  their  rulers  from  the  lips  of  the  oracle  of 
the  day.  After  the  address  Mr.  Clay  was  conducted,  amidst  the  shouts 
of  the  men  and  the  waving  of  the  women's  handkerchiefs,  to  his 
apartments,  fatigued  with  travel  and  exhausted  with  excitement. 

But  the  affair  did  not  end  here  ;  the  great  dining-room  of  the 
United  States  Hotel  had  been  fitted  up  during  the  day  with  bou- 
quets of  flowers  and  festoons  of  evergreens,  and  in  the  evening  the 
most  splendid  ball  was  given  that  was  ever  witnessed  here ;  eight 
hundred  persons  were  present,  comprising  a  greater  number  of 
distinguished  men  and  fine  women  than  have  probably  ever  been 
collected  in  this  country. 

I  was  the  senior  manager,  and  by  previous  arrangement,  after 
the  first  set  of  cotillons,  Mr.  Clay  and  his  son  were  led  into  the 
room  by  me  and  Mr.  Meredith,  the  band  playing  "  Hail  Columbia," 
and  the  company  opening  to  the  right  and  left  to  afford  us  a  pas- 
sage to  the  upper  end  of  the  room.  It  has  been  a  day  of  prodigious 
excitement,  and  everything  went  off  well. 

AuGusx  10.  —  The  New  York  papers  contain  everyday  an  ac- 
count of  increased  commercial  distress,  affording  a  striking  contrast 
to  the  gayety  and  extravagance  of  this  place.  More  money  has 
been  spent  here  than  in  any  former  season,  some  of  which,  I  have 
no  doubt,  belongs  more  justl}-  to  the  pockets  of  creditors  at  home 
than  of  the  hotel-keepers  here. 


3/6  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [vEtat.  59. 

August  12.  —  This  is  the  meridian  of  the  Saratoga  season.  All 
the  world  is  here  :  politicians  and  dandies ;  cabinet  ministers  and 
ministers  of  the  gospel ;  office-holders  and  office-seekers ;  hum- 
buggers  and  humbugged ;  fortune-hunters  and  hunters  of  wood- 
cock ;  anxious  mothers  and  lovely  daughters ;  the  ruddy  cheek 
mantling  with  saucy  health,  and  the  flickering  lamp  almost  extin- 
guished beneath  the  rude  breath  of  dissipation.  In  a  few  days  this 
brilliant  company  will  be  scattered  over  the  face  of  the  land,  and 
who  can  tell  for  how  many  of  them  this  will  be  the  last  season  ? 

A  little  circle  was  formed  this  evening  in  the  grand  saloon,  which 
occasioned  much  curious  speculation.  It  consisted  of  the  three 
prominent  candidates  for  the  next  presidency :  Mr.  Van  Buren, 
who  returned  this  morning ;  Mr.  Clay ;  and  the  gallant  General 
Scott,  whose  star  is  rising  fast.  Each  had  fair  ladies  receiving  their 
attentions,  and  many  good-natured  jokes  were  passed  between  them. 

New  York,  Aug.  21.  —  Our  dinner  to-day  was  interrupted  by  the 
great  procession  for  the  reception  of  Mr.  Clay,  which  passed  the  house 
a  little  before  five  o'clock.  Mr.  Clay  came  down  from  Newburgh  in 
the  steamboat  "  James  Madison,"  and  by  previous  arrangement  of 
the  Whig  committee  was  landed  at  the  foot  of  Hammond  street, 
whence  he  was  escorted  to  Union  place,  and  thence  down  Broad- 
way to  the  Astor  House,  by  the  greatest  cavalcade  I  ever  witnessed 
on  such  an  occasion.  All  Broadway  was  filled  with  spectators ; 
from  the  windows  handkerchiefs  were  waved,  and  shouts  ascended 
from  the  crowds  collected  at  the  corners.  We  all  left  the  dinner- 
table  and  went  to  the  balcony  in  front  of  the  house,  whence  we 
had  a  fine  view.  We  received  the  salutations  of  Mr.  Clay  in 
passing,  and  I  was  further  honoured  by  a  salute  from  the  band.  In 
the  barouche  with  Mr.  Clay  sat  General  Lynch,  Dudley  Selden,  and 
General  Van  Courtlandt.  On  the  arrival  of  the  procession  at  the 
Park,  and  before  Mr.  Clay  was  taken  to  his  lodgings,  he  was  carried 
to  the  front  of  the  City  Hall,  where  he  was  addressed  by  Mr.  Selden, 
and  replied  in  a  good  speech  of  less  than  half  an  hour.  In  the 
evening  he  went  to  the  Bowery  Theatre,  where  he  was  received  with 


1839.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  377 

new  honour  from  other  thousands.  I  went  down  after  dinner  with 
Gilmore  and  Meredith  to  the  Astor  House,  which  was  filled  like  a 
market-place  with  people  waiting  for  the  return  of  the  honoured 
guest  from  the  theatre. 

Viewing  this  affair  as  a  spontaneous  expression  of  public  opinion, 
accomplished  with  no  expense  and  very  little  preparation,  and  un- 
accompanied by  military  parade,  it  exceeded  anything  of  the  kind 
we  have  ever  witnessed,  excepting  the  reception  of  Lafayette.  It 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  patriotic  senator  must  be  the 
favourite  candidate  for  the  presidency  of  the  Whigs  hereabouts  ;  and 
I  have  no  doubt  that  he  is,  and  would  stand  a  good  chance  of  suc- 
cess, and  the  country  be  thereby  saved  from  the  further  progress 
of  ruin,  were  we  not  the  most  untractable,  unreliable  party  which 
ever  stood  up  against  corruption  and  bad  government. 

August  24.  —  Mr.  Clay  received  visitors  on  Thurs- 
^'^'    ^-^^        day,  in  the  Governor's  room,  City  Hall.     After  an  in- 

Departure.  ^ '  '  ■' 

effectual  attempt  to  see  him  there  (for  the  room  was 
so  crowded  that  not  one  in  twenty  who  went  could  get  admission) 
I  called  upon  him  at  the  Astor  House,  where  I  saw  and  conversed 
with  him  for  a  few  minutes.  The  civilities  of  the  New  Yorkers 
have  nearly  annihilated  him.  He  is  hoarse  and  fatigued ;  but  he 
went,  nevertheless,  to  the  Park  Theatre  in  the  evening,  where  he  was 
received,  as  usual,  with  great  applause. 

August    26.  —  We  are   vagrants  now   on   Sundays. 
Church  ^ooT  old  Trinity  being  nearly  razed   to   the   ground, 

and  a  new  church  to  be  erected  on  the  same  spot, 
which  will  require  two  or  three  years  to  complete,  we  shall  be 
compelled  during  that  time  to  hire  a  pew  in  one  of  the  up-town 
churches,  or  quarter  upon  our  friends. 

When  the  committee  of  the  vestry  of  Trinity  Church  began 
with  the  edifice,  it  was  intended  to  repair  and  remodel  the  interior 
only,  leaving  the  venerable  exterior  and  the  noble,  dark-looking 
spire  in  their  original  integrity ;  but  in  the  progress  of  the  work 
the  building  was  found  to  be  in  such  a  state  of  decay  as  to  be 


3/8  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

rendered  irreparable,  and  the  time-honoured  temple  of  the  Lord, 
the  parish  church  of  New  York,  the  nucleus  of  Episcopacy,  was 
doomed  to  destruction.  I  found,  on  my  return  to  the  city,  a 
shapeless  heap  of  ruins  on  the  spot  where  my  imperfect  devotions 
have  been  performed  for  the  last  thirty-seven  years.  It  occasions 
melancholy  reflections  to  see  the  dark  mass  of  ruins  still  overlook- 
ing the  magnificent  temples  of  mammon  in  Wall  street,  and  to 
think  of  the  changes  which  have  occurred  there  during  the  time 
the  venerable  spire  which  is  now  removed  has  thrown  its  shadow 
over  the  place  "  where  merchants  most  do  congregate." 

May  I  not  also  see  in  this  dilapidation  a  type  of  my  own  decay 
and  speedily  approaching  removal  ?  When  I  first  went  to  Trinity 
Church  I  was  young,  ardent  and  full  of  hopes,  capable  and  indus- 
trious, and  I  should  now  be  ungrateful  not  to  acknowledge  that  in 
most  cases  my  hopes  were  realized  and  my  industry  rewarded ; 
but  the  storms  within  the  last  three  years  have  beaten  upon  me, 
the  timbers  are  decayed,  the  spire  no  longer  "  like  a  tall  bully  lifts 
its  head,"  and  the  vestry  has  no  funds  to  rebuild  me. 

August  31.  —  There  has  been  great  interest  excited 
Slaver.  ^^r  Several  days  past  about  a  mysterious  "  low,  black- 

looking  schooner,"  which  was  seen  and  spoken  several 
times  off  Long  Island,  filled  with  pirates,  as  was  said.  This  "  flying 
Dutchman"  was  captured  on  Monday  last,  between  Gardner's 
Island  and  Montauk  Point,  by  Captain  Gedney,  in  the  United 
States  surveying  brig  "  Washington."  She  proves  to  be  very  much 
as  reported.  The  schooner  "  Amistead,"  a  Spanish  vessel.  She 
sailed  from  Havana  bound  to  Guanaja,  another  port  in  Cuba, 
with  fifty-four  slaves  belonging  to  Jose  Ruiz,  a  passenger  on  board, 
who  had  bought  them  at  Havana  from  a  slaver  just  arrived  from 
the  coast  of  Africa,  and  was  conveying  them  to  his  plantation. 

Pedro  Montes,  another  passenger,  had  also  four  slaves.  Four 
days  after  leaving  Havana,  the  blacks  rose  upon  the  crew,  mur- 
dered and  threw  overboard  the  captain  and  a  mulatto  cook,  and 
compelled  Montes  (who  had  formerly  commanded  a  vessel)  to  take 


i839]  THE   DIARV   OF    I'lIILIP   IIOXE.  379 

the  helm  and  steer  easterly  for  their  own  country,  under  threats 
of  being  also  murdered.  This  he  did  during  the  day,  but  at  night 
altered  his  course,  and  kept  upon  the  American  coast,  until  on 
Monday  last,  whilst  at  anchor  near  Montauk,  the  blacks  having 
gone  ashore  for  water  and  provisions,  the  schooner  was  descried  by 
the  "  Washington,"  boarded  and  taken  possession  of,  the  whites  re- 
leased from  their  dreadful  state  of  bondage,  and  the  slaves  captured. 
The  vessel  was  taken  into  New  London,  and  an  examination  held 
on  board  by  Judge  Judson,  of  the  United  States  District  Court. 
The  schooner,  with  the  remains  of  her  cargo,  which  consisted  of 
dry  goods  and  other  articles  calculated  for  the  use  of  a  plantation, 
were  taken  possession  of,  and  the  slaves  ordered  for  a  trial  at  Hart- 
ford, on  the  I  7th  of  September. 

The  ringleader  in  this  revolt  is  a  Congo  negro,  named  Joseph 
Cinques,  about  twenty-six  years  of  age,  a  fine,  intelligent  fellow, 
who  would  be  exalted  into  a  hero  instead  of  a  pirate  and  murderer 
if  his  colour  was  right,  and  he  had  been  taken  under  other  circum- 
stances. 

I  am  afraid  this  affair  will  be  attended  with  unpleasant  conse- 
quences at  this  time,  when  the  minds  of  men  in  this  country  are 
influenced  by  the  question  of  abolition.  These  poor  wretches  were 
stolen  from  their  homes,  carried  to  a  strange  country,  and  sold  to 
servitude,  from  which  they  sought  to  escape  on 'the  first  occasion 
which  offered.  They  committed  murder,  it  is  true  ;  but  their  situa- 
tion may  have  rendered  it  inevitable.  They  spared  their  owner, 
which  would  seem  to  prove  that  human  blood  was  not  their  object. 
If  these  men  are  tried  in  Connecticut,  and  some  condemned  to 
death,  Joseph  particularly  will  be  justified  by  one  party,  and  his 
case  will  excite  great  sympathy.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  revolt 
should  be  considered  only  as  a  measure  of  self-preservation,  and 
the  culprits  escape  punishment,  it  will  be  considered  by  the  slave- 
holding  ftinatics  as  a  new  proof  of  the  enmity  of  the  abolitionist 
fanatics  ;  so  that  either  way  it  makes  trouble.  I  wish  they  could  all 
be  sent  back  to  Havana,  and  perhaps  it  may  take  that  course. 


380  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILir   HONE.  [^tat.  59. 

September  7. — The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us;  it  was 
a  very  pleasant  party,  as  might  be  expected  from  such  material : 
Charles  Kean,  Lieutenant-Governor  Bradish,  Hon.  Richard  Bayard, 
United  States  Senate,  Hon.  Edward  Curtis,  Hon.  Ogden  Hoffman, 
J.  Prescott  Hall,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  Dr.  H.  McLean,  G.  H.  Carter, 
Dr.  Arnoult,  and  Robert  Greenhow. 

Times  are  certainly  hard.     Money  is  scarce  and  pro- 
Y^,  ""'^^     visions  dear.     Goods  won't  sell,  and  customers  don't 

and  Theatres. 

pay.  The  banks  won't  discount ;  stocks  are  down  to 
nothing,  and  real  estate  unavailable.  And  yet,  with  all  this,  the  rage 
for  amusement  is  unabated.  Indeed,  men  seem  to  reason  that,  as 
they  cannot  last  long,  a  dollar  more  or  less  will  make  very  little  dif- 
ference either  to  themselves  or  their  creditors,  as  the  case  may  be. 

But  we  are  a  great,  overgrown  city,  full  of  strangers  at  this  season, 
who  bring  money  to  pay  old  debts,  perhaps,  and  furnish  credit  for 
new  ones. 

September  13.  —  I  went  last  evening  to  the  National  Theatre, 
and  saw  Charles  Kean  in  "  Lear."  He  is  so  hoarse  from  a  cold 
that  it  was  difficult  at  times  to  hear  him.  He  is  his  father  all  over 
again  in  this  part ;  but  I  did  not  perceive  many  of  those  thrilling 
passages  which  left  an  impression  upon  my  mind  never  to  be 
effaced.  This  may  be  my  fault,  not  his ;  my  sensibility  is  not  so 
acute  as  in  the  days  of  the  elder  Kean.  The  son  looked  Lear 
admirably,  —  never  was  there  a  more  perfect  little  old  man. 

September  17.  —  The  vestry  of  Trinity  Church  has  adopted  plans 
for  the  new  church.  The  old  one  is  removed,  and  Wall  street  has 
an  unobstructed  view  of  the  bright  blue  western  sky,  —  the  only 
bright  prospect  left  for  the  thousands  who  daily  visit  that  street. 

September  18.  —  My  wife  and  I  left  home  this  morning  on  a 
gossiping  jaunt  up  the  North  river,  to  Samuel  S.  Howland's. 

September  ig.  —  The  morning  was  delicious.  After  breakfast 
we  drove  out  to  visit  some  of  the  neighbours.  Mr.  Howland's 
house  is  only  about  two  miles  from  Dobb's  ferry,  in  the  midst  of 
the  pleasant  neighbourhood  around  about  Tarrytown.      Our  first 


1839.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILir    HONE.  381 

visit  was  to  Mr.  Sheldon's.  He  has  just  finished  a  lovely  Gothic 
cottage,  which  is  furnished  in  excellent  taste,  ornamented  the 
grounds,  and  among  other  improvements  converted  a  tumbling, 
noisy  brook  into  a  series  of  cascades,  and  made  a  succession  of 
shady  walks  and  rural  seats,  enough  to  turn  the  brain  of  a 
romantic  seeker  after  the  beauties  of  nature. 

We  next  visited  Washington  Irving,  who  lives  with  his  sister 
and  nieces  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  Our  friend  Geoffrey 
Crayon's  cottage  appeared  rather  to  a  disadvantage  after  leaving 
its  tasteful  and  elegant  neighbour  a  mile  or  two  farther  up.  It  is 
a  quaint,  Dutch-looking  cabin,  with  small  rooms,  inconvenient, 
and  only  one  story  high ;  but  the  admirers  of  the  gentle  Geoffrey 
think,  no  doubt,  that  one  story  of  his  is  worth  more  than  half  a 
dozen  of  other  people's. 

Mr.  James  A.  Hamilton  next  was  honoured,  when  we  found  him 
and  his  family  (as  in  the  other  houses  we  had  visited)  very  glad 
to  see  us.  His  house  is  large  and  the  rooms  handsome,  but  no 
part  of  the  work  appears  very  substantial.  The  view  from  the 
front  is  splendid,  and  the  want  of  trees  is  not  so  apparent  as 
when  seen  from  the  river. 

We  returned  to  dine  at  Howland's,  and  went  by  invitation  to 
drink  tea  at  Mrs.  Constant's.  This  is  a  noble  place,  formerly 
owned  by  Mr.  Edgar,  about  a  mile  below  Dobb's  ferry.  The 
fine  old  trees  which  line  the  roads  and  surround  the  house  give 
an  air  of  magnificence  to  the  spot. 

OcTORER   3.  —  I  was   invited   to   dine   yesterday  at 
Dinner  at         Kowlau's  Tavem,  with  the  ]:> resident  and  directors  of 

Harlem.  '■ 

the  Harlem  Railroad  Company,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
completion  of  a  double  track  the  whole  distance  from  City  Hall. 
A  company  of  about  one  hundred,  including  the  Chancellor,  the 
Court  of  Errors,  Judges  and  members  of  the  Corporation,  partook 
of  an  excellent  dinner,  and  there  were  toasts  and  speeches  in 
abundance,  as  usual.  The  best  speeches  were  made  by  Ogtlen 
Hoffman  and  Mr.  Brooks  of  the  "  Express."     My  toast  was  "  The 


382  THE    DIARY    OF   rillLIP    HONE.  [/Etaf.  59. 

locomotive  —  the  only  good  motive  for  riding  a  man  on  a  r«//." 
The  weather  during  the  day  and  evening  was  delicious. 

OcroBKR  9.  — Wall  street,  the  commercial  and  polit- 
arm  in     a    .^^^   barometer,   was    grievously  disturbed   to-day.     A 

street.  ?  o  ^  j 

great  crash  has  taken  place,  which,  now  that  it  has 
happened,  appears  to  have  not  been  unexpected.  The  Bank,  of 
the  United  States  in  Philadelphia  has  suspended  specie  payments, 
and  the  other  banks  of  that  city  will  have  to  follow  its  example. 
Those  in  Baltimore  must  pursue  the  same  course,  and  the  thousand 
rotten  banks  of  the  South  will  be  but  too  happy  to  follow  suit. 
Our  banks  carry  a  bold  front  and  will  not  suspend,  they  say.  In 
order  to  place  themselves  in  a  situation  to  hold  this  lofty  language, 
they  have  been  compelled  for  a  long  time  past  to  squeeze  the  poor 
merchants  to  death.  They  are  placed  under  the  "nether  mill- 
stone," where  struggling  is  in  vain.  I  hope,  for  the  honour  of  New 
York,  that  all  their  sacrifices  will  not  be  in  vain  ;  but  it  is  hard  to 
'stand  alone  against  the  shock  of  universal  bankruptcy. 

How  that  old  Jackson  will  rejoice  in  his  unsanctified  re- 
treat at  Nashville,  at  this  catastrophe  !  It  would  have  been  worth 
a  play  ticket  to  witness  his  triumph  on  the  receipt  of  the  news. 
"I  told  you  so  !  "  he  must  have  said,  as  he  dashed  his  pipe  to  the 
ground  with  savage  joy.  "Where  is  Nick  Biddle  now?  —  down  ! 
down  !  where  I  have  tried  to  get  him  for  so  long  a  time.  Shout, 
my  liege  subjects,  for  your  master's  victory  !  Throw  up  your  caps, 
my  faithful  Loco-foco  supporters,  and  renew  the  yell  so  grateful  to 
my  ears :  Hurrah  for  Jackson,  and  down  with  the  merchants  !  " 
True,  indeed,  he  did  tell  them  so  ;  and  we  Whigs  also  told  them  so. 
This  and  all  the  other  miseries  we  are  suffering  are  to  be  attributed 
to  the  measures  of  hostility  inflicted  by  this  vindictive  man  upon 
the  Bank  of  the  United  States. 

October    10. — The    Senatorial  Convention  of  the 

Whigs  of  this  district  was  held  this  day  at  the  Broad- 

Convention.  °  ■' 

way  House,  at  noon.  The  members  proceeded  to  can- 
vass informally  and  inconclusively  for  a  nominee  to   the   Senate. 


1S39.]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   IIOXE.  383 

Observing  my  name  to  be  high  on  the  list,  I  stated  to  my  col- 
leagues the  difficulty  of  my  position  in  being  present  during  the 
discussion  which  would  naturally  arise.  I  certainly  did  not  desire 
the  nomination,  and  would  support  most  heartily  any  other  candi- 
date who  might  be  selected ;  nor  would  I  decline  it.  I  was  pre- 
cluded from  the  latter  course  by  implied  pledges  made  to  my 
political  friends  last  year  as  the  condition  of  their  consent  to  the 
withdrawal  of  my  name  from  the  Assembly  ticket,  that  I  would 
agree  to  serve  them  this  year  if  they  should  continue  of  the  same 
mind.  In  order  to  be  relieved  from  the  awkwardness  of  my  situa- 
tion I  requested  and  obtained  leave  to  retire  during  the  discussion. 
After  an  hour's  absence  I  was  sent  for  and  the  balloting  com- 
menced. On  the  first  ballot  I  had  eight  votes,  Daniel  Lord,  Jr., 
seven,  and  Mr.  Jay  one  (my  vote).  Finding  my  name  still  before 
the  convention,  I  declined  voting  again,  and  on  the  third  or  fourth 
ballot  I  received  eleven  votes  and  Mr.  Lord  four.  On  this  the 
question  was  taken  by  ayes  and  nays,  and  I  had  evety  vote.  So  I 
am  in  nomination  as  the  Whig  candidate  for  the  Senate  of  the  State 
at  the  ensuing  election.  I  hope  it  will  come  to  good  for  the  cause, 
and  that  I  may  be  elected  now  that  I  am  up  ;  but,  in  truth,  it  would  be 
very  inconvenient  for  me  to  pass  my  winters  in  Albany.  My  oppo- 
nent in  the  convention,  Mr.  Lord,  was  supported  by  the  lawyers, 
who  deem  it  important  to  have  gentlemen  of  their  profession  in  the 
Court  of  Errors ;  but  everything  that  occurred  was  highly  compli- 
mentary to  me,  and  it  is  no  small  gratification  to  have  had  as  my 
principal  competitor  such  a  man  as  Daniel  Lord,  Jr.,  who,  besides 
standing  at  the  very  top  of  the  New  York  bar,  is,  in  every  respect, 
one  of  the  most  estimable  men  in  the  city. 

The  fearful  apprehensions  of  yesterday  were  realized.  The  banks 
of  Philadelphia  have  suspended  specie  payments.  New  York  stands 
yet  —  but  how  long? 

October  14.  —  My  nomination  for  the  Senate  excites  great  in- 
terest with  all  parties.  It  is  somewhat  amusing  to  read  the  com- 
ments  upon   my  character   in    the   newspapers.     The   Whigs,   of 


384  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  59. 

course,  express  their  approbaxion,  some  of  them  (the  "Commercial 
Advertiser"  and  '^'The  Daily  Whig")  in  terms  of  exaggerated 
encomium,  whilst  the  other  party  are  not  sparing  abuse.  The 
"  Herald  "  (Bennett's  paper)  says  I  am  the  most  unpopular  candi- 
date that  could  have  been  put  up.  This  must  all  go  for  as  much  as 
it  is  worth.  I  shall  preserve  these  precious  documents,  and  some 
of  these  days  copy  them  here,  to  show  hereafter  the  discrepancies 
of  party  opinions  on  plain  matters. 

It  annoys  me  a  little  to  be  told  that  some  of  the  Loco-focos  of 
my  own  party  (for  we  have  such  amongst  us)  are  opposed  to  the 
nomination.  "  I  am  a  gentleman,"  they  say,  —  very  much  obliged 
to  them  !  —  "  and  no  gentleman  can  succeed."  These  are  the  men 
that  ruin  a  good  cause.  If  they  are  right  in  what  they  say,  the 
party  is  not  worth  sustaining ;  better  would  it  be  that  everything 
should  go  back  to  the  dunghill  of  Democracy,  and  let  us  see  if 
something  better  may  not  spring  from  it.  As  a  set-off  against  the 
annoyance  which  their  reports  have  given  me,  I  have  been  gratified 
by  the  visits  of  several  influential  Whigs  in  the  upper  wards,  who 
assure  me  that  I  shall  run  a  better  chance  than  any  other  person 
could  have  done.  I  have  strong  doubts  of  the  success  of  our 
ticket ;  but  I  should  hate  confoundedly  to  find  that  I  had  been  an 
injury  to  it. 

October  17.  —  Three  of  my  young  female  friends  have  em- 
braced the  willing  chains  of  matrimony,  besides  Miss  Julia  Coster, 
whose  wedding  I  noticed  yesterday.  Miss  Sarah  Ogden  made 
Robert  Goelet  happy,  and  to-day  Miss  Mary  Tallmadge,  loveliest 
among  the  lovely,  weds  Philip  L.  Van  Rensselaer,  son  of  the  late 
excellent  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer.  This  last  marriage  is  celebrated 
at  General  Tallmadge's  country-seat  in  Dutchess  County,  and  is, 
I  presume,  a  very  satisfactory  union  to  all  parties  concerned ; 
pride  of  birth  (all  that  we  Republicans  are  allowed  to  have  of 
it)  will  be  gratified.  Great  wealth  comes  in  to  make  things 
comfortable,  and  good  character  gives  a  reasonable  chance  for 
future   happiness. 


1839]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  385 

OcTOi'.KR  2  2.  —  There  is  great  excitement  in  relation  to  the 
arrest  of  the  two  Spaniards,  Jos^  Ruiz  and  Pedro  Montez,  the 
owners  of  the  revolted  slaves  who  were  taken  on  board  the  "  Ami- 
stead,"  and  are  now  in  prison  in  Connecticut.  This  outrageous 
proceeding  is  the  work  of  the  abolitionists,  who,  in  their  officious 
zeal,  have  obtained  affidavits  from  the  wretched  Africans,  who, 
ignorant  of  our  language,  probably  knew  not  what  they  were  swear- 
ing about.  These  affidavits,  charging  their  owners  with  assault  and 
battery,  were  made  the  grounds  of  this  arrest,  and  the  Spaniards  are 
in  prison.  Writs  of  habeas  corpus  have  been  issued,  and  the 
subject  is  now  submitted  to  the  judges,  who,  it  is  hoped,  will  see 
reason  to  discharge  the  men  who  escaped  so  narrowly  from  the 
conspiracy  in  which  the  lives  of  other  white  men  were  sacrificed. 
The  fanatics  are  working  day  and  night  to  make  this  bad  matter 
worse ;  under  the  specious  cloak  of  an  abstract  opposition  to 
slavery,  they  are  blowing  up  a  flame  which  may  destroy  the  Union, 
and  light  up  a  civil  war  between  men  who  have  no  interest  so 
strong  as  to  belong  to  a  brotherhood  of  patriots. 

October  23.  —  My  old  friend,  Benjamin  L.  Swan,  marries  his 
daughter  Mary,  this  evening,  to  Mr.  Charles  N.  Fearing.  My  son 
Robert  is  one  of  the  groomsmen,  and  Miss  Eliza  Russell  a  brides- 
maid. 

October  26.  —  I  am  fairly  in  for  it ;  every  evening  I  am  toted 
somewhere  to  show  myself  to  the  voters,  to  make  a  speech  and 
solicit  their  "  sweet  voices,"  not  for  myself,  —  oh  no,  by  all 
means  !  —  but  for  the  cause  of  which  I  am  the  deputed  representa- 
tive and  organ.  This  is  a  distinction  which  requires  some  address 
to  make,  but  the  people  seem  satisfied  with  it.  A  committee 
called  upon  me  yesterday  to  invite  me  to  a  great  Whig  meeting,  at 
the  Military  Hall,  Bowery.  I  went,  was  received  with  the  most 
enthusiastic  greetings,  made  a  tolerably  good  speech,  which  was 
received  with  shouts  and-  hurrahs,  and  on  the  whole  made  an 
excellent  hit. 

October  31.  —  I  went,  by  invitation  of  Mr.  Grinnell,  this  morn- 


3S6  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

ing,  and  partook  of  a  collation  on  board  the  splendid  new  ship 
"  Patrick  Henry,"  intended  for  Grinnell  and  Minturn's  line  of 
packets.  She  is  the  ne  plus  ult/'a,  or  will  be  until  another  ship  of 
her  class  shall  be  built, 

November  4.  —  My  vanity  has  been  tickled  again 
MeTting!"^  by  a  call  signed  by  a  large  number  of  merchants' 
clerks,  for  a  meeting  to  be  held  on  Saturday  evening, 
at  the  Shakespeare  Hotel,  of  "  the  young  men  of  the  city 
of  New  York  friendly  to  the  election  of  PhiUp  Hone  to  the 
Senate."  This  meeting,  so  flattering  to  me,  was  held  on  Satur- 
day, at  the  appointed  place,  and  was  (I  am  told)  a  great  and 
enthusiastic  assemblage. 

November  6.  —  The  Sun   of  Austerlitz    succeeded 
^^':*!°"  this   morning  the   violent   storm  of  last   night.     The 

Decided.  °  = 

Whigs  hailed  it  as  a  harbinger  of  victory,  but  the 
canvass  this  evening  of  the  senatorial  votes  shows  that  we  have 
suffered  a  Waterloo  defeat.  I  am  beaten  by  a  majority  of  eighteen 
hundred,  and  the  Assembly  ticket  has  no  doubt  fared  equally  badly. 
This  result  is  unexpected  to  me,  and  somewhat  mortifying.  I  feel 
a  selfish  joy  in  having  escaped  the  excessive  labour  and  the  numer- 
ous discomforts  and  deprivations  which  would  have  been  the 
consequences  of  my  election  to  the  Senate ;  but  I  deplore  deeply 
the  failure  of  so  good  a  cause  as  ours,  and  this  triumph  of  princi- 
ples so  broadly  and  openly  avowed  by  the  successful  party,  which, 
in  the  sincerity  of  my  heart,  I  conceive  are  calculated  to  destroy 
the  only  hopes  of  a  recovery  from  the  deplorable  state  in  which 
the  country  is  placed.  Our  hopes  of  the  State  have  been  sanguine, 
and  it  may  yet  save  the  cause ;  but  they  were  equally  so  of  the  city. 
I  fear  the  worst.  God's  will  be  done.  Party-spirit  and  personal 
ambition  and  desire  of  power  rule  the  country,  and  must  rule ;  and 
their  instruments  are  the  worthless  part  of  the  population,  which, 
unhappily,  is  the  most  numerous. 

November  9.  —  I  had  a  dinner-party  of  Whigs,  principally  mem- 
bers of  the  "  Hone  Club,"  invited  "  for  congratulation  or  for  con- 


1839-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  387 

dolence  as  the  case  might  be,"  which  turned  out  to  be  the  latter, 
—  no  mistake  about  it,  —  so  far  as  the  host  was  concerned  in  this 
rascally  city.  But  congratulation  came  in  for  a  good  share  of  the 
business  of  the  day.  By  the  time  my  guests  assembled  it  was 
pretty  clearly  ascertained  that  the  Whigs  had  triumphed  again  in 
the  State,  and  secured  a  majority  in  both  Houses  of  the  Legislature. 
My  appetite  was  not  injured,  nor  was  my  wine  less  bright,  from  my 
knowledge  that  I  was  to  be  left  at  home  to  enjoy  them  and  other 
greater  comforts,  instead  of  devoting  time  and  labour,  perhaps  with- 
out thanks,  to  the  service  of  the  State  for  four  years  to  come.  It  is 
a  reprieve  for  which  I  ought  to  be  thankful.  ^Ve  had  a  pleasant 
dinner.  The  party  consisted  of  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Ogden  Hoff- 
man, Edward  Curtis,  James  Monroe,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  John  Ward, 
Simeon  Draper,  Jonathan  Amory,  W.  T.  Brigham,  S.  B.  Ruggles, 
and  Dr.  Francis. 
„      „        ,         November  21.  —  The  Governor   came    in  town  to 

Gov.  Seward 

and  Office-  attend  a  public  dinner  given  to  him  by  the  line  officers 
seekers.  ^j-  ^j^^  miHtia,  and  returned  home  yesterday.     He  feels 

now  the  weight  of  his  office.  The  result  of  the  late  election,  by 
securing  a  majority  of  his  political  friends  in  the  Senate,  and  there- 
by giving  validity  to  his  nominations  for  office,  has  opened  the 
flood-gates  of  application,  —  enough  to  sweep  him  away  in  the 
current ;  but  he  seems  to  stand  it  very  well.  His  spirits  are  good, 
his  tact  admirable,  and  he  has  a  good  word  for  each  of  the  crowd 
of  importunate  solicitors  for  executive  f.ivour  who  beset  him  without 
intermission  or  relaxation.  I  have  my  troubles,  too,  in  a  subordi- 
nate capacity.  Having  been  a  candidate  for  office,  and  supposed 
to  be  somewhat  in  His  Excellency's  good  graces,  I  am  beset  all  day 
long  by  office-seekers  to  sign  their  petitions,  to  speak  to  the  Gov- 
ernor, or  to  write  him  letters  in  their  behalf.  We  Whigs  are  cer- 
tainly the  most  disinterested  patriots  in  the  world.  We  have  no 
interested  motives,  —  not  we  !  The  country,  and  the  cause,  and  the 
good  of  the  people  were  our  only  motives  in  working  at  the  elec- 
tions ;  and  now  that  the  loaves  and  fishes  are  to  be  distributed. 


388  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  59. 

there  are  not  more  than  about  fifty  baskets  held  out  for  each,  each 
appUcant  having  convinced  himself  that  he  is  the  only  one  qualified 
for  the  office,  and  ready  to  curse  the  Governor  and  desert  the  party 
if  he  should  not  be  successful.  I  have  had  them  every  hour  in  the 
day  for  the  last  two  or  three  weeks.  I  do  not  know  of  late  the 
pleasure  of  eating  an  uninterrupted  meal.  I  dread  the  sight  of 
a  square  folded  paper  taken  from  a  whited-brown  envelope.  Men 
are  affronted  if  I  refuse  to  certify  that  they  are  in  all  things  quali- 
fied, when  in  truth  I  know  nothing  about  them,  and  go  off  in  an 
unappeasable  huff  if  I  hesitate  to  ascribe  to  them  qualities  which 
I  do  know  they  do  not  possess.  Persons  apply  to  be  made  water 
commissioners,  who  do  not  know  a  culvert  from  a  bridge  ;  measurers 
and  inspectors  of  grain  and  flour,  who  can  scarcely  tell  the  differ- 
ence between  wheat  and  rye  ;  and  inspectors  of  pot  and  pearl  ashes, 
who  would  have  to  consult  an  encyclopaedia  (if,  perchance,  they  can 
read)  to  ascertain  if  the  article  on  which  they  are  to  pass  judgment 
be  a  mineral  or  a  vegetable  production.  The  poor  Governor  has 
not  now  a  refractory  Senate  opposed  to  him,  as  he  had  last  session, 
on  whom  he  could  lay  the  blame  of  the  failure  of  the  Whigs'  appli- 
cation. He  must  stand  the  brunt  of  the  affair,  and  get  over  as  well 
as  he  can  the  consequences  of  making  one  cool  friend  and  forty- 
nine  enemies  amongst  his  political  partisans  in  the  case  of  every 
appointment. 

November  22.  —  Poor  Wallack  cannot  succeed  with 
ationa  j^.^  company  at  Niblo's  (his  place  of  refuge  after  the 

burning  of  his  theatre).  His  stock  company  was  good, 
and  his  milky  way  was  not  deficient  in  stars.  He  has  had  Vanden- 
hoff  and  his  charming  daughter,  Charles  Kean,  Forrest,  and  the  best 
opera  corps  in  the  country ;  but  all  would  not  do.  The  theatre 
was  closed  the  first  of  the  present  week.  The  stock  actors  are 
standing  stock  still,  and  the  planets  move  no  longer  in  their  accus- 
tomed orbits.  The  Park  lingers  on,  but  it  is  doing  a  bad  business. 
There  are  but  few  strangers  in  town,  and  the  pockets  of  our  citi- 
zens, for  the  most  part,  are  too  low  to  stand  the  united  demands 


1839-]  THE   DIARV   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  389 

of  Fulton   market  and  the  theatres.     Economy  begins   to  follow 
reluctantly  in  the  dirty  footsteps  of  necessity. 

November  27. — Mr.  Samuel  Ward,  senior  partner 
?r?.."^        of  the  great  banking-house  of  Prime,  Ward,  King,  & 

Mr.  Ward.  o  o  o 

Co.,  died  this  day  at  noon.  There  are  few  citizens  in 
New  York  whose  death  would  have  caused  so  great  a  void  in  the 
circles  of  active  business  and  social  intercourse  as  Mr.  Ward's, 
the  moving  spirit  of  a  great  financial  concern,  whose  ramifications 
extended  not  only  over  all  parts  of  this  country,  but  were  known  and 
felt  throughout  Europe.  Liberal  and  munificent  in  a  degree  greater 
perhaps  than  that  of  any  other  person,  he  employed  a  large  por- 
tion of  his  wealth  in  works  of  benevolence  and  public  spirit.  Pos- 
sessed of  a  good  heart  and  a  sound  head,  he  was,  nevertheless,  too 
much  the  slave  of  systems,  which  he  applied  indiscriminately  to  all 
dispositions  and  characters,  and  measured  all  men  by  the  same 
rules ;  even  his  own  habits  were  subjected  to  a  system  of  govern- 
ment too  rigid  for  his  constitution.  He  became  all  of  a  sudden  a 
total-abstinence  man,  at  a  time  of  life  when  the  experiment  was 
dangerous,  and  drank  nothing  but  water,  when,  in  my  judgment,  a 
moderate  use  of  the  good  wine  which  he  had  in  his  cellar  would 
have  been  more  congenial  to  his  health.  Mr.  Ward  was  about  fifty- 
five  years  old.  He  went  to  live  with  Mr.  Nathaniel  Prime  at  the 
age  of  fourteen,  became  in  the  course  of  time  his  partner,  and  con- 
tinued an  active  member  of  the  house,  and  the  senior  since  Mr. 
Prime's  retirement.  Mr.  Ward  lived  in  a  noble  house,  which  he 
built  a  few  years  ago,  on  the  comer  of  Broadway  and  Bond  street, 
—  the  corner  below  my  house, — where  he  had  a  picture-gallery 
and  one  of  the  finest  libraries  in  the  city.  He  was  a  rich  man,  and 
made  a  good  use  of  his  money;  and  such  men  are  not  easily 
spared  at  this  time. 

November    28.  —  This   was    the    day    of    general 
Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving,  appointed  by  the  Governor  of  the  State 

and  the  city  authorities,  and  was  very  generally  ob- 
served.    Never  had  a  people  more  reason  to  be  thankful  for  the 


390  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

blessings  of  Divine  Providence.  The  year  has  been  especially 
marked  by  genial  weather,  abundant  harvests,  and  exemption 
from  war,  pestilence,  and  famine,  and  all  the  minor  evils  with 
which  it  is  the  pleasure  of  the  Almighty  to  visit  at  times  his 
unthankful  children.  There  are  troubles  enough,  certainly ;  but 
they  are  "  the  work  of  man's  hands,"  and  show  how  wayward 
and  weak  he  is  when  left  to  his  own  "  inventions."  Our  constant 
prayer  should  be  that  he  may  not  be  thus  left. 

I  was  forcibly  struck  this  morning  in  examining  a 
Coal.  table    of   the   quantity   of    coals   produced    from    the 

mines  of  Pennsylvania  during  the  last  nineteen  years. 
In  the  year  1820  the  whole  quantity  sent  to  market  was  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  tons  from  Lehigh ;  in  the  present  year 
more  than  a  million  of  tons  will  have  been  sent.  Nine  years  ago 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company  made  their  first  ship- 
ments, amounting  to  seven  thousand  tons ;  this  year  they  have 
shipped  to  Rondout  on  the  North  river  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  thousand  tons,  —  the  greatest  quantity  sent  in  any  one  year. 

What  an  argument  is  this  in  favour  of  internal  improvements, 
and  what  a  reproof  to  the  miserable  tools  of  party  faction,  who, 
to  secure  their  election  to  the  State  Legislature,  have  bound 
themselves  by  unholy  pledges  to  break  down  these  noble  enter- 
prises, and  to  check  an  experiment  so  eminently  successful !  Here 
is  an  increase  of  an  article  indispensable  for  the  use  of  all  classes 
of  our  citizens,  whether  for  manufactures,  steam  navigation,  or 
domestic  fuel,  to  the  amount  of  six  or  seven  millions  of  dollars, 
and  making  a  reduction  in  price  to  the  consumers  of  as  much 
more ;  an  article  which,  although  known  to  exist  in  an  inexhausti- 
ble extent  in  the  mountains  of  a  neighbouring  State,  was  as 
worthless  as  the  soil  which  covered  it,  until  the  means  were 
adopted  by  the  construction  of  roads  and  canals  to  bring  it  to 
market ;  and  all  these  glorious  benefits,  the  fruits  of  public  spirit 
and  private  enterprise,  were  to  have  been  abandoned  to  secure  the 
influence  of  a  set  of  miserable  politicians,  who  would  sacrifice  all 


IS39-]  TIIl^   DIARY   OF   I'lIILIP   HONE.  39I 

the  great  interests  of  the  country  to  promote  the  designs  an  1 
perpetuate  the  power  of  their  leaders.  But,  thank  God  !  the 
pestilential  breath  of  party-spirit  engendered  in  this  rotten  political 
atmosphere  has  not  infected  the  State  at  large,  and  for  one  year 
at  least  its  councils  will  not  be  polluted  by  its  deleterious  influence. 
December  4.  —  I  went  this  morning,  by  invitation 
ThcDaguerro.  ^^  j^io^sieur  Frangois  Gouraud,  to  see  a  collection  of 

type. 

the  views  made  by  the  wonderful  process  lately  discov- 
ered in  France  by  Monsieur  Daguerre,  which  is  called  by  his  name. 
Mr.  Gouraud  is  the  pupil  and  friend  of  the  inventot,  and  comes  to 
this  country  to  make  known  the  process.  The  pictures  he  has 
are  extremely  beautiful,  —  they  consist  of  views  in  Paris,  and  ex- 
quisite collections  of  the  objects  of  still  life.  The  manner  of 
producing  them  constitutes  one  of  the  wonders  of  modern  times, 
and,  like  other  miracles,  one  may  almost  be  excused  for  dis- 
believing it  without  seeing  the  very  process  by  which  it  is  created. 
It  appears  to  me  a  confusion  of  the  very  elements  of  nature.  It 
is  nothing  less  than  the  palpable  effect  of  light  occasioning  a  re- 
production of  sensible  objects.  The  reflection  of  surrounding 
images  created  by  a  camera,  obscured  upon  a  plate  of  copper, 
plated  with  silver,  and  prepared  with  some  chemical  substances, 
is  not  only  distinctly  delineated,  but  left  upon  the  plate  so  pre- 
pared, and  there  remains  forever.  Every  object,  however  minute, 
is  a  perfect  transcript  of  the  thing  itself;  the  hair  of  the  human 
head,  the  gravel  on  the  roadside,  the  texture  of  a  silk  curtain, 
or  the  shadow  of  the  smaller  leaf  reflected  upon  the  wall,  are  all 
imprinted  as  carefully  as  nature  or  art  has  created  them  in  the 
objects  transferred ;  and  those  things  which  are  invisible  to  the 
naked  eye  are  rendered  apparent  by  the  help  of  a  magnifying 
glass.  It  appears  to  me  not  less  wonderful  that  light  should  be 
made  an  active  operating  power  in  this  manner,  and  that  some 
such  effect  should  be  produced  by  sound ;  and  who  knows 
whether,  in  this  age  of  invention  and  discoveries,  we  may  not  be 
called  upon  to  muvel  at  the  exhibition  of  a   tree,  a  horse,  or  a 


392  THE   DIARY   OF   I'lIILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  59. 

ship  produced  by  the  human  voice  muttering  over  a  metal  plate, 
prepared  in  the  same  or  some  other  manner,  the  words  "  tree," 
"  horse,"  and  "  ship."  How  greatly  ashamed  of  their  ignorance 
the  by-gone  generations  of  mankind  ought  to  be  ! 

December  5. —  My  old  friend,  Henry  J.  Wyckoff, 
w^ckoff  ^'  ^^^^^  ^'^^^  evening,  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his  age. 
Mr.  Wyckoff  was  a  good  man,  actively  and  efficiently 
engaged  in  public  institutions  of  benevolence  and  charity.  He  was 
formerly  a  merchant  of  highly  respectable  standing,  of  the  firm  of 
Suydam  &  Wyckoff,  and,  I  presume,  died  rich.  We  were  formerly 
intimate  companions,  members  of  the  same  club,  and  meeting  at 
dinner-parties  two  or  three  times  a  week.  Thus  another  tie  is 
broken,  and  another  warning  given. 

A  most  outrageous  revolt  has  broken  out  among  the 
e    a  roon  s  j-gj^j^j^^g  q£  jj^g  ^ate  patroon,  General  Van  Rensselaer, 

Tenants.  '■  '  ' 

in  the  neighbourhood  of  Albany,  of  a  piece  with  the 
vile  disorganizing  spirit  which  overspreads  the  land  like  a  cloud, 
and  daily  increases  in  darkness.  The  tenants  of  the  manor  of 
Rensselaer,  which  is  in  extent  from  twenty  to  forty  miles,  having 
waited  for  the  decease  of  their  respected  proprietor,  the  late 
patroon,  have  now  risen  en  masse,  and  refuse  to  pay  their  rent  to 
his  son  Stephen,  to  whom  that  portion  of  the  estate  of  his  father 
has  been  bequeathed,  except  upon  their  own  terms,  and  at  their 
own  good  pleasure.  They  have  enjoyed  their  leases  for  so  many 
years,  upon  terms  so  easy,  and  have  been  treated  with  so  much  len- 
ity, that  they  have  brought  themselves  to  believe  that  the  lands  be- 
longed to  them.  Since  the  death  of  General  Van  Rensselaer  they 
have  had  meetings,  and  resolved  that  in  a  land  of  liberty  there  is 
no  liberty  for  landlords ;  that  no  man  has  a  right  to  own  more  land 
than  his  neighbour,  and  that  they  have  paid  so  little  rent  heretofore 
that  it  is  not  worth  while  to  pay  any  hereafter ;  and  that  master 
Stephen,  with  as  good  a  title  by  inheritance  as  any  known  to  the 
laws  of  the  State,  shall  neither  have  his  land  nor  the  income  of  it. 
This  outrageous  proceeding  of  the  Rensselaerwickers   has    occa- 


1839.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  393 

sioned  great  consternation  in  Albany.  The  sheriff  resorted  to  the 
ancient  process  of  summoning  the  posse  comiiatus  ;  the  citizens 
were  ordered  out  to  march  against  the  rioters ;  several  hundred 
went,  and  met  the  enemy  in  the  disputed  territory.  The  sheriff, 
with  seventy  followers,  went  forward  in  advance  ;  but  finding  them 
armed  and  mounted  to  the  number  of  several  thousands,  deter- 
mined to  resist,  and  swearing  by  Dunder  and  Plixsen  that  they 
would  pay  no  more,  nor  surrender  their  farms  to  the  rightful  owner, 
he  returned  to  the  main  body  of  his  forces,  faced  to  the  right 
about,  and  marched  back  to  Albany. 

This  is  alarming,  certainly,  but  nothing  more  than  a  carrying- out 
of  the  Loco-foco  principles  of  the  people  of  the  State,  —  those 
principles  which  prevailed  in  this  city  at  the  late  election,  —  to 
the  support  of  which  the  members- elect  of  the  Legislature  are 
pledged,  and  from  which  the  councils  of  the  State  have  been  lately 
saved  by  the  greater  virtue  of  the  country,  but  which  must,  in  a 
short  time  (perhaps  the  very  next  year),  sweep  away  all  the  wise 
restraints  of  law  and  justice,  and  cause  the  destruction  of  individ- 
ual rights.  Let  it  come,  if  come  it  must ;  the  evil  will  be  remedied 
some  time  or  other ;  but  this  fair  dream  of  Republicanism  will  be 
dissipated  by  its  cure. 

December   9.  —  The    Harrisburg    Convention    on 

igiomi-  g3^^^J.J^y  completed  their  business,  and  adjourned. 
The  nomination  is  made,  and  nothing  remains  but  to 
support  it  with  unanimity  and  zeal.  William  Henry  Harrison,  of 
Ohio,  for  President,  and  John  Tyler,  of  Virginia,  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent, are  the  true,  regular  candidates  of  the  ^Vhig  party  of  the 
United  States.  My  preference  was  for  Mr.  Clay.  His  services 
have  been  greater  than  those  of  any  other  person ;  and  his  devo- 
tion to  genuine  Whig  principles  merited,  and,  in  my  opinion,  should 
have  received,  from  the  party  the  highest  proof  of  its  approbation 
and  gratitude  ;  but  this  tribute  which  a  great  majority  of  the  Whigs 
have  ever  been  ready  to  pay  him  has  been  now  withheld,  from  an 
apprehension  that  the  opposition  of  the  abolitionists  in  the  Western 


394  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^Elat.  59. 

States,  and  in  a  large  portion  of  the  State  of  New  York,  would 
destroy  his  chance  of  success,  and  that  General  Harrison,  being 
the  favourite  of  the  Whigs  of  the  "  free  States,"  would  run  better. 
This  is  not  the  last  mischief  to  be  apprehended  from  this  quarter. 
The  accursed  question  is  destined  to  mix  up  with  all  national  ques- 
tions, and  in  the  end  to  alter  the  essential  features  of  our  govern- 
ment, if  not  to  cause  a  separation  of  the  States  and  a  dissolution 
of  the  Union.  The  opposition  to  Mr.  Clay  from  this  quarter  is  so 
strong,  that  even  if  nominated  he  could  not  (in  the  opinion  of  a 
majority  of  the  convention)  have  been  elected,  and  it  was  perhaps 
good  policy  to  take  Harrison,  who  may  succeed  if  the  friends  of 
Mr.  Clay  exercise  that  magnanimity  which  it  appears  they  could  not 
calculate  upon  from  a  portion,  at  least,  of  the  friends  of  his  rivals. 
But  the  matter  is  now  settled,  and  I,  for  my  part,  am  determined 
to  forget  that  any  other  candidate  than  General  Harrison  has  ever 
been  thought  of,  or  named  to  the  people.  The  informal  vote  on 
Friday  is  understood  to  have  been,  for  Winfield  Scott,  1 6  ;  Henry 
Clay,  90;  William  H.  Harrison,  14S. 

December  10.  —  In  removing  the  foundation  of  the 
Curious  Relic,  towcr  of  Trinity  Church  a  vaulted  grave  was  opened, 
which  contained  the  coffin  and*  bones  of  Lady  Corn- 
bury,  wife  of  the  governor  of  the  colony,  who  died  in  this  city  in 
the  year  1706,  and  was  buried  under  the  original  church,  which 
was  burned  in  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  A  large  plate 
and  fragments  of  the  coffin  were  found,  which  are  now  seen  in  the 
office  of  the  architect ;  the  former  is  perfectly  legible,  and  nearly 
uninjured  by  its  inhumation  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  years. 
The  arms  of  this  noble  lady,  who  was  sister  of  the  Earl  of  Rich- 
mond, and  a  viscountess  in  her  own  right,  are  engraven  on  the 
plate,  with  her  pedigree,  age,  and  time  of  her  death,  etc.,  distinctly, 
but  very  rudely,  written  below.  She  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-four. 
This  relic  is  interesting  and  valuable,  as  it  marks  the  period  of 
Lord  Combury's  government,  one  of  the  early  English  governors, 
whose  name  is  affixed  to  the   charter  of  Trinity  Church.     How 


1S39]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  395 

many  generations  of  men  liave  passed  away,  ami  what  changes  have 
occurred,  since  this  plate  of  silver,  emblazoned  by  the  hands  of  an 
unskilful  artist  with  the  pompous  display  of  heraldic  pride  and 
the  unerring  record  of  death's  doings,  was  placed  in  its  dark,  cold 
repository,  to  be  brought  forth  again  to  the  light  of  day  to  undergo 
the  scrutiny  of  a  generation  of  men  who  were  not  thought  of  in 
those  days,  and  who  care  no  more  about  the  remains  of  this  branch 
of  the  Richmond  family  than  those  of  the  poor  Indian  chief  who 
was  driven  from  the  spot  before  her  husband  came  to  it  as  the 
representative  of  the  Majesty  of  England  ! 

The  place  where  these  remains  were  interred  was,  at  the  time, 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  city  of  New  York.  The  charter  of 
Trinity  Church  (a  copy  of  which  I  have  in  my  possession)  provides 
for  the  erection  of  a  church  in  that  spot,  near  to  the  city  of  New 
York.  It  has  now  become  in  fact  the  southern  boundary.  The 
solitary  tomb  of  this  young  and  noble  lady  has  echoed  for  more 
than  a  century  the  footsteps  of  busy  men,  ardently  engaged  in  the 
cares  of  business  and  the  pursuit  of  wealth ;  for  it  was  close  to 
Broadway,  opposite  Wall  street.  I  proposed  last  evening,  in  the 
vestry,  that  these  relics  should  be  presented  to  the  Historical 
Society ;  but  it  was  not  granted.  They  determined  to  have  a  new 
tomb  provided,  in  which  they  are  to  be  re-interred. 

The  De  Ruyters,  the  Von  Tromps,  and  the  Stuyve- 

.  cvv    utc    gjjj^j.     q|-  jj^g  manor  of  Rensselaer,  remain  still  in  an 

W  ar.  '  ' 

attitude  of  open  rebellion  to  the  laws  of  the  land. 
Equally  opposed  to  good  order  as  to  good  manors,  they  won't  pay 
their  rent  to  him  whom  they  style  the  pretended  proprietor,  oppose 
every  attempt  of  the  constituted  authorities  to  enforce  the  demands 
of  justice,  and  treat  with  indignity  everything  in  the  shape  of  legal 
process.  This  outrageous  proceeding  has  become  so  serious  that 
the  Governor  has  ordered  a  body  of  fifteen  hundred  of  the  inf.xntry 
of  this  city  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  repair  to  Albany  at 
a  moment's  warning,  and  has  provided  two  steamboats  to  transj^ort 
them  to  the  seat  of  war.     Division  and  brigade  orders  fill  a  column 


396  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Elat.  59. 

in  the  morning  papers,  and  names  of  major-generals,  A.D.C.'s, 
and  brigade-majors  are  blazoned  in  staring  capitals.  Young  men 
with  muskets,  unconscious  yet  of  murderous  lead,  parade  the  streets, 
"  panting  for  the  fray,"  and  anxious  to  flesh  their  maiden  swords 
in  Dutchmen's  blood  ;  and  many  a  one  whose  nose  looks  red  and 
bright  on  frosty  mornings  may  find  it  turn  blue  when  he  comes  to 
poke  into  the  hostile  camp  of  the  belligerent  Rensselaerwickers. 
But  in  truth  and  soberness  this  is  a  serious  business.  Conduct  so 
disorganizing  must  be  resisted,  and  the  laws  be  maintained  at  all 
events.  The  affair  is  in  good  hands.  Our  excellent  little  Gover- 
nor understands  what  he  is  about,  and  if  the  last  attempts  of  the 
sheriff  in  Albany  county  should  be  unsuccessful,  the  arm  of  execu- 
tive power  will  not  be  raised  in  vain. 

A  correspondence  between  the  malcontents  and  Mr.  Van 
Rensselaer  is  published,  in  which  it  appears  to  me  they  are  all 
WTOng,  and  he  all  right.  The  letter  of  Mr.  V.  R.  contains  the 
description  of  the  boundaries  and  extent  of  the  Van  Rensselaer 
patent.  It  is  enormous,  and  such  a  territory  in  the  hands  of  an 
individual  certainly  does  not  conduce  to  the  public  advantage. 
At  the  time  of  the  grant  it  consisted  of  little  better  than  wild  land, 
inhabited  by  Indians,  and  unproductive  as  the  prairies  of  Arkansas 
or  the  Rocky  mountains  ;  whereas  it  is  now  the  heart  of  the  State, 
near  the  capital,  and  capable  of  indefinite  improvements  if  the  oc- 
cupants held  it  in  fee.  But  these  men  do  not  go  the  right  way  to 
work ;  they  have  no  more  right  to  refuse  the  payment  of  the  tri- 
fling rent  than  the  tenants  of  houses  in  New  York  have  to  say 
they  will  pay  but  one-half  of  their  stipulated  rent,  or  none  at  all. 
December  12.  —  The  disturbances  in  the  Rensse- 
Dutch  War.  laer  manor  are  in  a  fair  way  of  settlement  without 
calling  in  the  aid  of  the  troops  from  New  York.  This 
effect  has  been  mainly  produced  by  the  firm  and  discreet  course 
of  Governor  Seward,  who  issued  a  very  judicious  proclamation  to 
the  revolted  tribes  of  the  Helderberg,  giving  them  little  to  hope 
from  the  hostile  attitude  in  which  they  had  placed  themselves,  and 


iS39-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  397 

much  from  a  suitable  obedience  to  the  laws  and  reliance  upon  the 
justice  of  the  Legislature. 

An  attempt  was  made  during  the  course  of  this  affair,  by  the 
profligate  politicians  who  are  in  the  ascendant  in  this  devoted  city, 
to  get  up  a  meeting  at  Tammany  Hall  to  express  their  horror  at 
the  thought  of  troops  being  employed  to  shed  the  blood  of  their 
fellow-citizens,  and  to  raise  party  capital  by  condemning  the 
measures  adopted  by  the  Governor ;  but  this  cankered  sore  of  Jac- 
obinical corruption  did  not  come  to  a  head ;  their  hearts  were 
black  enough,  and  their  heads  sufficiently  willing  to  carry  out  such 
a  design,  but  it  was  thought  rather  too  radical.  The  time  has  not 
quite  come,  —  it  is  not  far  distant. 

December  13.  —  Great  anxiety  has  prevailed  for  some  time  past 
about  the  French  packet  "Ville  de  Lyons,"  Captain  Stoddart, 
which  has  been  out  about  seventy  days  from  Havre,  with  two  hun- 
dred passengers.  Mrs.  Cutting,  the  elder  Miss  Cutting,  and  the 
wife  and  children  of  Francis  B.  Cutting,  with  a  number  of  others 
in  whose  fate  great  interest  was  felt,  were  known  to  be  on  board, 
and  this  day  apprehensions  were  relieved  by  accounts  being  re- 
ceived that  the  ship  had  just  put  into  Bermuda,  dismasted  and 
otherwise  greatly  disabled  by  severe  weather.  The  perils  and  dan- 
gers of  the  voyage  will  be  likely  to  induce  passengers  to  prefer 
the  steam-packets  in  making  a  western  passage  during  the  winter 
months. 

December  14.  —  Mr.  Robert  Lenox,  who  has  been  ill  for  several 
weeks,  died  yesterday,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
formerly  a  merchant  and  magistrate  of  this  city,  and  died  one  of  its 
richest  citizens. 

December  19.  —  Anthony  L  Bleecker  has  been  appointed  mar- 
shal of  this  district,  in  the  place  of  W.  C.  H.  Waddell.  In  this 
appointment  the  President,  it  is  said,  has  given  mortal  offence  to 
the  butt-enders  and  indomitables  who  form  the  elite  of  his  party  in 
New  York.  These  gentry  had  made  up  their  minds  to  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  Major  Hopkins  to  this  office,  and  sent  a  deputation 


398  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  59. 

of  their  respectable  order  to  Washington  to  that  effect,  demanding 
that  their  rescript  should  be  obeyed,  and  their  favourite  receive  his 
share  of  the  spoils  of  the  victory  which  their  prowess  had  gained. 
This  demand,  it  would  appear,  was  urged  with  a  degree  of  insolence 
which  the  President  could  not  brook.  He  smiled,  however,  upon 
his  tools,  rough  as  was  their  deportment,  gave  them  soft  words  in 
return  for  rude  enforcements,  bowed  the  unshaven  dignitaries  of  the 
Loco-foco  body-guards  out  of  his  palace,  and  forthwith  appointed 
this  Mr.  Bleecker  to  the  office,  who  is  a  gentleman, —  sufficient,  one 
would  think,  at  this  time  to  disqualify  him.  This  contumelious 
treatment  has  given  mortal  offence  to  the  sovereigns,  and  some  of 
their  ultra  papers  have  gone  the  length  of  abusing  the  President  in 
good  set  terms.  One  or  two  more  such  acts  of  rebellion  against 
the  expressed  v/ill  of  the  party  will  get  Mr.  Van  Buren  out  of  their 
good  books.  He  has  occasionally  evinced  a  disposition  to  act  like 
a  gentleman,  which  will  be  his  ruin  if  he  does  not  take  care. 

December  20. — The  nomination  of  General  Harri- 
Mr.  Clay.  son  works  like  a  charm  among  the  Whigs.  They  said 
that  the  choice  of  the  Harrisburg  Convention  should  be 
the  signal  of  union,  and  that  all  personal  predilections  should 
be  offered  up  on  the  altar  of  patriotism,  and  nobly  have  they 
redeemed  their  pledge.  All  have  forgotten  their  first  choice,  and 
every  man's  banner  is  inscribed  with  the  name  of  Harrison.  In 
this  honourable  course  the  friends  of  Henry  Clay  have  been  the 
foremost ;  and  the  man  of  their  choice,  he  who  has  done  his  coun- 
try better  service  than  any  man  alive,  and  better  deserves  its  highest 
recompense,  was  the  first  to  set  the  glorious  example.  Mr.  Clay 
will  never  be  President;  but  why  should  he  wish  it?  He  has 
reached  a  higher  eminence.  He  has  sacrificed  personal  interest  to 
the  public  good.  Is  he  ambitious?  What  is  there  in  the  title,  or 
troublesome  duty,  or  empty  distinction  of  being  President  of  the 
United  States  for  four  years  (for  that  is  to  be  the  ultimatum  here- 
after) to  fill  the  measure  of  a  reasonable  ambition  equal  to  that  of 
his  present  position?     He  has  drawn  off  his  troops  at  a  moment 


■I839-]  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  599 

when  they  were  ready  to  fight  for  him  to  the  death.  He  hcOs  sub- 
mitted even  to  the  force  of  prejudices,  and  acknowledged  that 
popularity  with  the  people  did  not  follow  from  his  best  public  acts. 
He  has  sacrificed  the  reward  of  a  long  life  of  public  and  private 
devotion  to  his  country  to  the  noble  sentiment  of  the  patriotic  Vir- 
ginian, "  Union  for  the  sake  of  the  Union,"  and  relinquished  the 
doubtful  chance  of  the  enjoyment  for  four  years  of  the  glitter  of 
office,  with  the  vapid,  dull,  and  useless  remainder  after  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term,  for  the  proud  certainty  of  being  enthroned  in  the 
hearts  of  the  honest,  high-minded  portion  of  his  countrymen  as 
the  disinterested  patriot  who  has  always  sensed  them  well,  and 
stands  ready  to  serve  them  well  hereafter. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  Harrisburg  Convention  many  of  the 
members  went  to  Washington,  where  it  was  found  that  there  were 
one  or  more  delegates  from  eighteen  out  of  the  twenty-two  States 
which  had  been  represented  in  that  patriotic  and  enlightened  body. 
They  called  in  a  body  upon  Air.  Clay,  to  do  homage  to  the  high 
moral  principle  which  had  influenced  his  conduct.  The  friends  of 
Harrison  and  Scott,  with  those  who  originally  enlisted  for  Webster, 
were  as  ready  to  acknowledge  the  high  claims  of  Clay  to  the  proud 
distinction  of  their  nomination  as  he  and  his  friends  had  been  to 
surrender  those  claims  in  favour  of  a  candidate  who  was  thought  to 
be  more  available.  The  particulars  of  this  touching  ceremony, 
together  with  those  of  the  great  Whig  dinner  given  on  the  same 
day,  are  detailed  admirably  in  the  "  National  Intelligencer." 

December    26. — The   message   was   not   delivered 
President's       ^^^^^  Tucsday.     It  is  well  written,  delusive,  and  calcu- 

Message. 

lated  to  strengthen  the  President  with  his  party, — 
choroughly  Loco-foco.  Two- thirds  of  the  enormous  mass  of  words 
are  used  to  minister  to  the  bad  feelings  of  the  anti-bankites.  The 
President  recommends,  in  the  boldest  and  most  undisguised  terms, 
the  sub-treasury  system,  —  an  exclusive  circulation  for  government 
purposes.  State  banks  are  condemned  without  mercy,  and  the 
plan  of  a  national  bank  is  declared  not  only  unconstitutional,  but 


400  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [-Etat.  59. 

altogether  inexpedient.  The  government  is  to  be  banker,  broker, 
and  money-dealer  for  the  whole  country.  These  doctrines  will 
probably  be  carried  out  in  their  fullest  extent,  and  in  a  few  monthri 
the  whole  policy  of  the  country  will  be  changed,  and  the  general 
government  (or  rather  the  President  and  his  myrmidons)  become 
the  masters  of  the  people,  and  the  regulators  of  their  private  as  well 
as  public  affairs.  Good -by,  then,  to  all  the  sound  influence  of 
wholesome  credit  and  national  faith. 

December  30.  —  I  called  yesterday  to  see  Mr.  Webster.  He  is 
in  good  health  and  spirits,  and  greatly  pleased  (as  he  could  not 
fail  to  be)  with  his  visit.  His  splendid  talents  and  high  standing 
in  his  own  country  have  been  suitably  appreciated  where  he  has 
been,  and  he  has  met  with  a  flattering  reception  and  kind  treat- 
ment. I  had  half  an  hour's  agreeable  conversation  with  him.  He 
does  not  appear  anxious  to  go  to  Washington  immediately,  for  he 
sees  no  chance  of  doing  any  good  there.  His  mind  is  full  of 
gloomy  forebodings  of  the  unhappy  result  of  measures  which  it  is 
too  certain  will  now  be  carried.  The  accession  of  Mr.  Calhoun 
and  his  little  squad  of  anti- federal  nuUifiers  to  the  grasping,  reck- 
less policy  of  the  administration,  which  sanctions  any  coalition, 
however  corrupt,  and  consents  to  any  violation  of  the  Constitution, 
however  flagrant,  which  may  serve  to  secure  the  permanency  of 
their  power,  gives  the  death-blow  to  the  patriotic  efforts  of  the 
Whigs  of  the  North  and  the  East.  One  hundred  and  ten  good 
men  and  true  in  the  House  of  Representatives  are  to  be  ruled  by 
eight  or  ten  who  are  neither  good  nor  true,  and  if  anything  is  to  be 
gained  by  an  occasional  assistance  from  that  quarter  it  must  be  by 
a  sacrifice  greater  than  the  object  is  worth.  Mr.  Calhoun's  party 
are  the  worst  politicians  in  the  country,  —  enemies  of  the  Constitu- 
tion, more  dangerous  than  Benton  and  Wright,  Frank  Thomas,  or 
Aaron  Vanderpoel. 

END    OF   VOLUME    I. 


1 

University  of  Toronto 

0) 

Library 

1 

DO  NOT             /^ 

Q) 

c 

o 

REMOVE          / 

•H 

THE                1 

Philip 

le  diary  of  Phi 
^ard  Tuckerman. 

CARD             1 
FROM             ^ 
THIS                \ 

<u       CO 

o           >> 

POCKET              \. 

!:3 

CO  '^ 

Acme  Library  Card  Pocket 

CO  c^ 

LOWE-MARTIN  CO.  limited